I See Dead People
by bloodyblond
Summary: Bella Swan comes to Forks with something a little... extra. What will she do when she realizes that it's not just a group of ridiculously attractive teenagers she's going to High School with, but ones that have a little something 'extra' too? Her life has already changed once, is she ready for three of them to change it again? And are they ready for her?
1. Introduce Yourself

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N: Kay, this is the story that clogged my mind and prevented me from writing anything else... but please don't hate it on that principal alone. Writing angst is stressful as hell, so this one will be much lighter and is really just me having a good time. I smiled a lot while I was writing this, and hope you will too.  
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**********_As usual, you can kiss Canon goodbye for the most part. We tried to make it work once. Canon took me out, and tried to show me a good time. But halfway through the date, I went to 'bathroom' and Canon got stuck with the check. After that, I ignored all his phone calls, texts and unfriended him on facebook. Yeah, it's pretty safe to say we're not on good terms._  
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**********_So for those of you that are a stickler for this sort of thing, I'm warning you right now, this is a re-write of Twilight to give it a Jasper/Bella twist and (as usual) I'll be changing things right from the get-go. And, while I'm trying to follow the basic timeline that was set out for the story(for the most part) for any 'inaccuracies' you notice, please know that it IS DELIBERATE.  
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**********_Consider this MY-Light ;)  
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Bella made a triumphant sound in the back of her throat when the shirt she had been struggling with for the better part of two minutes finally slipped over her head. She stumbled backwards when she was greeted with the widely smiling face of her great-grandmother Marie, or as Bella called her (and the name she was widely known by- so much that most people forgot her _real_ name), Nan.

"Jesus, Nan. Don't do that!" She yelped.

Nan cackled and moved over to sit on Bella's unmade bed.

Bella hastily shoved her arms through the long sleeves and ran her fingers through her hair, gathering it at her neck and pulling the rest from where it was trapped beneath the fabric at her back. She released it once it was free and it fell to mid-back in loose mahogany waves.

"Where have you been anyways?" Bella asked. "I haven't seen you since the car ride here two days ago."

"I've been around, checking out the surroundings, getting a feel for the place." Nan glanced around what would serve as Bella's room for the next year and a half. "I see your father still doesn't know you very well," she remarked, staring pointedly at the lavender walls.

"Hey, in his defense, I haven't exactly been here since I was a kid."

A skeptical look crossed Nan's face. "Uh huh... and did you even like this color then?"

Bella busied herself with sticking her recently purchased school supplies in her worn bag (a _ratty_ bag Nan had been trying to convince her to get rid of for years. _'That thing is falling apart at the seams, Chime'_, she'd say at least once a week.)

"That's what I thought," Nan replied smugly. She eyed Bella's bag as she closed the flap. "Don't you think Stash is jumping the gun a bit by having you start school immediately? You just got here. Doesn't he think you need a little time to adjust?"

Bella grimaced. "You do know that I hate that nickname for him?" She really should be used to it, Nan referred to _everyone_ by a nickname. Bella strongly suspected it was so she didn't have to remember their _actual_ names.

Nan waved her hand through the air dismissively. "It's the perfect nickname for him. He's had a mustache since the day your mother first introduced him to the family over twenty years ago. I'm almost certain he was born with it."

"Well, _Charlie_," she stressed his name, "did offer me time to settle in. I'm the one who told him I was ready. The new term started last week and if I put it off, I'm gonna fall behind. Besides, I've had the weekend to adjust."

"You do know it's strange that you call your father by his first name?"

Bella shrugged uncomfortably. She did know it was strange, but it felt odd to call him Dad. Weird even.

Her parents had divorced when she was a year old and her mother had packed her up and moved back to Phoenix to live with Nan, who, still feeling the loneliness from the death of her husband two years prior, had happily offered the granddaughter she'd practically raised and her great-granddaughter the two spare rooms in her sprawling colonial (and they would live in that house for the next 13 years.) Although Renee could have just as easily moved in with her own mother, Sandra, (who lived an hour and a half outside of Phoenix) there was an animosity between the two that _had_ _not_ been settled, despite the distance and would sadly remain that way up until her death three years ago.

Bella had only seen Charlie sporadically after that, usually for the occasional weekend and a month or so during the summer time. But the visits had dropped to a mere weeks as she got older, whittling down until she eventually realized she hadn't seen her father in almost a year. Because of that, she supposed they both could be blamed for the distance. It's not like the road didn't go both ways.

He seemed to understand her reluctance to call him Dad as she got older, or any incarnation of the name, and grudgingly accepted it. That was probably because Bella referred to her mother the same way.

She felt Nan lightly touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chime. After 80 years, you'd think I knew enough to stop letting my mouth get away from me."

Bella smiled. "It's alright, Nan." She thought about all the times when Nan had dressed someone down. Mean kids, parents, teacher's, snobby neighbors. All had gotten a taste of her sass. Renee had often told Bella that it was where she got it from. "It's always been one of my favorite things about you."

"Likewise, Chime." She looked over her shoulder at Bella's alarm clock. "You better get going, you don't want to be late for school," she said, mere seconds before Charlie knocked on her door.

"You ready yet, uh, kiddo?" Came awkwardly from the other side. "School starts in an hour."

Bella opened the door as Nan pulled a face. "Kiddo? Good grief."

"Shut up," Bella muttered absently, before cringing at the look on Charlie's face. "Not you...uh...I just... I'll be down in a second."

Charlie nodded, but the slightly put out look remained. "Hey, I know you have the truck, but I could drive you, if you want? So you don't get lost."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure you _can_ get lost in Forks." Did that come out as sarcastic as she thought it did? "Besides, we passed the school on the way here so..." she trailed off, combating with the slight guilt she felt for refusing his offer, but she really, _really_ didn't want to show up for her first day at school in a police cruiser.

"Okay. I'll, uh, meet you downstairs then. Did you want some breakfast? I think I might have some cereal."

"I'm good. I saw some apples in the kitchen, so I'll just grab one of those before I leave."

Charlie nodded again, looking officially uncomfortable by now and almost desperate for an excuse to leave, but he hesitated. "Hey, I thought I heard you talking to someone as I was coming up the stairs..." He cut off as sharp eyes moved from Bella to suspiciously scan the otherwise empty room.

"I was talking to myself," Bella hurriedly supplied, feeling an artificial and no doubt joker-like smile, stretching her lips. She spotted Nan out of the corner of her eye mouthing _'too much' _and eased it up a little. "Yeah, I do it all the time. Drove Renee nuts."

He tried his best to hide it, but she got the sense that Charlie was starting to second guess his decision to let his _crazy_ daughter come live with him.

Now it was Bella's turn to be desperate. "Well, I'm just gonna grab my things..."

"Yeah, okay. Sure. Good to have you here kiddo." He added as an afterthought before descending the stairs.

Bella leaned her head against the door frame and fixed a mildly exasperated look on an apologetic Nan.

It was best to let Charlie think she was a little odd. After all, how exactly could you explain that you're talking to your great-grandmother?

The same great-grandmother that's been dead for almost 7 years.

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_**A/N2: So, have I caught your interest with this one? I sure hope so, cause this is my favorite story yet! Since the first half is complete, if interest is shown, I'll start posting twice a week. Let me know what you think because you won't get the new chapter until I get at least 50 reviews... **_

_**PSYCH! **_

_***Pshaw* I'm not in this for the reviews, I'm in it strictly for the dudes. You know us fanfic writers be beating them off with a stick.**_


	2. So You Had a First Day

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N: ************Before I get any further, I want you guys to know that I've made the decision to leave the wolves out of this story all together. Why? ************Because I think the worst shape in the world are triangles. I can't be bothered having Jake hanging around shooting Bella moon eyes all the time and muddling up the Jasper/Bella action. So consider this a 'Vamp Only' party.  
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Taking a big bite of her apple, Bella slammed the truck door shut, absently thanking Charlie for providing her with her own transportation... even if the vehicle he had '_gotten for a good deal'_ was a bucket of bolts. Like she had told herself earlier, anything was better than having to be hauled around in a police cruiser while she was here, or worse, being chaperoned by Charlie in his own jeep.

She felt the slightest shift in the air and was surprised to see Nan appear in the passenger seat.

"You're coming?"

"I've seen you off to every first day of school since you were a little girl. Why stop now?"

"Yeah, but you usually don't actually come _with_ me."

Nan's face fell. "I won't come with you if you don't want me too, Chime." She sighed. "I imagine my being there would only be a distraction anyways."

"I never think you're a distraction, Nan."

And she didn't.

Bella had grown so comfortable with Nan's presence over the years, that it was almost strange not to have her there.

"I think it'd be nice to have the company. Know that at least one person is on my side." She grinned. "Plus, I'd never pass up on the chance to miss out on all the fun commentary on my new school mates." She turned the key in the ignition and shifted it into gear when the engine fired up.

As she pulled out of the driveway, she listened with half an ear as Nan began prattling on about the passing scenery, her mind rolling over what her first day would be like.

She wondered how long it would take before she was labelled as the 'weird girl'. It was a title she was familiar with at her old school. It was also a word that had stopped bothering her a long time ago.

When you spoke with your dead great-grandmother you could either accept it (and the titles that would eventually come with it- there was only some many times you could mumble to yourself and seemingly laugh at nothing) or you could curl up in a corner gibbering and drooling all over yourself. It really wasn't a hard choice.

As strange as it sounded, it was never really something that scared or bothered her. She had been more scared at Nan's funeral. Uncertain of what she was going to do without her best friend and confidant.

She had curled up into the corner then.

Afterwards, at Nan's house (which, according to the will was now _Renee's_ house) where the funeral goers had gathered, she had ignored the unfamiliar relatives (why is it that some family members only made the effort to gather at funerals instead of actually visiting while the person was _alive_) and their awkward consolations and retreated to Nan's room instead. Clutching a pillow laced with her soft floral perfume, she had sobbed for what felt like hours, only stopping when she had heard the soft whisper of the nickname that only Nan had called her. Seconds later she'd felt the soothing touch of a soft hand drying her tears and had looked up into warm, familiar hazel eyes. That was when she had known everything would be okay.

Bella still hadn't figure out exactly why she could see Nan, and only Nan. (If it truly was an extrasensory gift, then it only applied to her, something she was _extremely_ grateful for, even more so when her mother moved them into a house across the road from a graveyard.) She had asked her once, but Nan appeared to be as uninformed as her. Either that or she was deliberately being vague in a _'I can't share the secrets of the universe' _kind of way. All she had said was that she was there to look out for her.

_"Consider me your own personal guardian angel," she had said with a smile._

Nan had definitely proved how true that was three years later.

**-oo-**

Bella had woken to Nan shaking her shoulder and urgently telling her that she needed to get out of the house. Blinking sleepily, Bella had listened to the darkened silence not hearing anything particularly worrisome. Her mother had been out for the night at some party _again_ and a now 14 year old Bella had gotten very used to being alone at night. Well, semi-alone she supposed.

She had gotten the message though when Nan had barked, "Leave now!" leaping out of her bed and tearing out of her room, down the stairs and out the door. Not even pausing to put on a sweater or shoes.

"Further," Nan had ordered when Bella had stopped at the sidewalk in front of her yard. Terrified at this point, she had continued running, passing by her nearest neighbor's house who was roughly 500 feet away, before a loud explosion sounded at her back followed by a wave of intense heat. She had halted to a stop and turned to witness her house literally engulfed in flames so bright, they lit up the night sky.

When Renee had returned an hour later (obviously having ignored the ten missed calls on her cell phone. Bella had learned a long time ago that _'call me if there's an emergency',_ really meant _'call me if you have no problem with the phone ringing twenty times before it goes to voice mail'_), the firemen were finally getting the fire under control. She had began hysterically screaming Bella's name, her eyes finally landing on a blanket wrapped bundle next to a mystified and slightly singed fireman.

Crushing her too her, Renee had shown her daughter more affection in that moment then she had in the 14 years previous, showering her face in sloppy wet kisses.

"You're all right," she kept repeating in between harsh sobs. Bella had remained silent and unresponsive in her arms.

"I don't know how she did it," a hoarse voice spoke from the side.

Renee turned to the fireman. "How she did what?"

"Got out. The neighbor's said the house exploded. That place would have been gutted in minutes, hell seconds. If there even _was_ smoke to warn her," the tone of his voice made it obvious that he _knew_ it was unlikely, "the girl here said she didn't hear a detector go off. So how she..." He shook his head.

Renee flushed in embarrassment. She had gotten tired of the smoke detector going off whenever she had cooked and had taken the batteries out ages ago.

"How did you get out, dear?"

Bella's solemn chocolate eyes had met hers and whispered one word, "Nan."

Needless to say, that would be the first and only time she ever mentioned Nan to anyone else.

There was only so many times the word _hysterical_ could come up (not to mention that lovely trip to a psychologist who had sternly asked if her mother was abusing her in any way) before anyone would realize that it's easier just to keep silent and to agree with her mother that, yes, she had been more terrified that night then she appeared and yes, she had been lamenting the loss of her beloved great-grandmothers house more then anything else. The questions had stopped after that.

She was thankful that Nan seemed to be able to hear her talk even when her mouth wasn't moving (this didn't mean she could hear _all_ her thoughts, simply the ones that were directed at her. Just like a normal conversation.) She stuck to strictly communicating like that, for the most part. Only talking out loud when she was certain no one was near.

It had been something she exercised the night of the fire as the fireman sat next to her, offering her comforting words in between confused and slightly uncomfortable glances. It probably didn't help that Bella's wide eyed gaze was fixated at some point over his shoulder where Nan hovered the entire time.

_Are you psychic too?_ Bella had asked, as strange mix of solemnity and giddiness coloring her words. She had been thrilled when she had witnessed Nan alternatively drift though objects and touch them as if she was still solid.

"No, Chime." A contemplative look stole over her face as she considered her next words. "Do you remember when you were younger and you told me that something just wasn't right about certain people?"

When Bella was ten, there had been a couple, the Steiner's, that her mom had been casual friends with. They had a little girl named Ava who was a year younger than her. Her mom had considered them affluentual, or posh as she used to say and done whatever she could to nurture her relationship with them, that included trying to set up numerous play dates and sleepovers.

Bella had went once, but refused to go after her mother had introduced her to Mr. Steiner one day at the supermarket. She wouldn't tell her mother why, but had told Nan that he didn't 'feel right.'

It was the talk of the town the next day when a barrage of police cars were in front of the Steiner house. Mr. Steiner was being lead out in handcuffs with Mrs. Steiner trailing behind him screaming, "_he's never done anything like this before!" _ A stoic Ava was being lead to a car by a kind looking older woman.

Nan had met her after school that day, pulling her into a fierce hug and whispering in her ear that she _'should always trust her feelings.'_

_You mean something didn't feel right?_

"Yes, Chime. I didn't know exactly what, but it was a feeling like something bad was around the corner."

A solemn Nan looked at the smoking pile of rubble that had served as her home for the last forty years. "Real bad."

**-oo-**

"How are you feeling, Chime?" Nan asked as Bella pulled into the Forks High parking lot and maneuvered her way into an empty space.

"As good as a girl can be starting a new school midway through the year." She cut the ignition and eyed the passing teens, a few who returned it with curiosity. She imagined in a small town like this, a new face would stick out. No doubt word had gotten around that Chief Swan's daughter was in town. Joy.

Nan flashed her an encouraging grin. "Keep your chin up."

Bella nodded, took a deep breath, opened the door and grabbed her bag off the seat beside her.

She cringed when the door squealed loudly, not unlike the sound a dying rabbit made. Any of the students who hadn't paid her the slightest bit of attention before, were now staring and whispering amongst themselves.

_Gotta make an impression, right?_ She thought wryly to Nan who was eying the body of the truck.

"What was Stash thinking when he got you this?"

_Hey, it's not so bad._ She slung the bag over shoulder and patted the rusted red paint. _Wasn't it you that said, 'age comes with beauty'?_

"I was referring to myself, Chime."

Wasn't that the truth, though? Even woman 40 years younger had been jealous of Nan's looks. She had always had a youthful beauty about her, even now, technically in death she still looked beautiful.

She was a head taller than Bella, her body long and lithe, her back straight, and her gait confident. The touch of arthritis that had just started to stoop her back and slow her walk a few years before her death was long gone. Long, shimmery silver-white hair fell pin-straight to her waist, part of it pinned back by the golden sun-shaped barrette that had been a staple in her hair since her beloved husband Will gave it to her for a wedding anniversary gift ten years before his death. (Though Bella had never met him, Nan had told her that his pet name for her had been 'My Sunshine')

Always a fan of bright colors and breezy fabrics, she had been thrilled to realize that she had the ability to change her clothes at her leisure using nothing more than a thought. It had been a concept that admittedly baffled her... and relieved Bella. It would have been a bit unsettling to see her in the same clothes _every_ day. She felt like it would have really driven home the fact that she was dead. At least this way, she could pretend for a bit.

Today she wore a loose, billowy long sleeved dress in a blue similar to a clear summer sky. A hemp belt was tied at her waist and gladiator sandals were on her feet. Silly little things like the temperature didn't stop her. Bella knew she didn't feel it anyways.

And it wasn't just her looks that made her beautiful, but her personality as well. She was always quick to smile, or laugh or joke, the soft laugh lines around her mouth and eyes was evidence to that. And if you didn't feel like laughing, she could wipe away your tears, give you a shoulder to cry on, or lend an ear. There was no question that she could be the sweetest person ever, but give her attitude and she never failed to give it back, usually finding some way to embarrass you in the process (that had always been Bella's favorite part.)

Looking at her discreetly, Bella grinned. She truly was her best friend, and she had always felt proud at the fact that she shared this woman's name. Drawing her confidence from that, she passed through the throng of students gathered at the entrance, raising a defiant eyebrow at the ones brave enough to make eye contact.

Entering, Bella cut to the left and headed towards the door with a little **_OFFICE_** sign on the wall beside it.

Clearing her throat, she attracted the attention of the grey-haired woman behind the desk, Ms. Cope, according to the plaque on her desk.

"Can I help you?

"Yes, I'm Bella Swan. It's my first day."

"Oh yes, Chief Swan's daughter. Welcome to Forks High." She opened up a desk drawer and began digging through its contents. Pulling out a few papers, she beckoned Bella closer.

"Chief Swan already filled out most of the necessary paper work, but he forgot about the medical information. So if you could just have him fill that out and return it later?" She slid the paper over to Bella who immediately folded it and tucked it in her bag.

"This here's your locker number and combination, its right next to your homeroom. You are so lucky to have Ms. Dale, all the kids rave about her. She'll be your English teacher as well."

Bella took that sheet as well.

"Also, we got your class choices, but we had to make a small change to your schedule. The Chemistry course you were interested in was full, so we had to substitute it for Biology. Is that alright? If not, History is available as well."

"Biology is fine." Bella had only chosen a Science course to round out her subjects anyways.

Ms. Cope smiled. "Wonderful. That's everything then. Would you like someone to show you around?"

Bella glanced down at the schedule in her hand which she noticed conveniently had a map printed on the back.

She held it up. "I think I can manage with this."

"Well alright. Let me know if you have any problems or questions. Have a good first day, Miss Swan."

"Thanks."

Walking through the hall Bella was too focused on the map to notice the stares and whispers she continued to get.

Nan however, was not.

"You'd think these people would have better things to do then stare."

Bella looked up amused as she watched Nan sidestep someone. _You don't have to do that, you know? It's not like they'll bump into you._

"And let some teenage boy walk through me? I don't think so."

_Give them a break. It's probably the closest they'll ever get to being inside a woman._

She chuckled at the strangled sound Nan released.

"I fear I've taught you a little too well."

A girl staring intently at her cell phone bumped into Bella, not even sparing an apology or bothering to look up from her texting.

"Cell phones in school. Everything was so much simpler when I went to school." Another girl passed by in a pair of skin tight jeans, heels and a stomach baring top. "And a lot less indecent."

_Is this you wishing for the days of pleated ankle-length skirts, corporal punishment and chalkboards serving as notepads?_

"Chalkboards..." Nan choked. "I'm not that old, missy."

Bella passed by an open door. _This is my class._ She walked a few steps further down the bank of lockers before stopping in front of one. _And this is my locker._

It took her a few times, but Bella finally twisted the lock open and opened the door. A faint scent of overripe bananas and sweat wafted out. Perfect_._

She was tempted to leave her jacket on, for fear it would absorb the odor, but figuring she didn't want to stick out anymore then she already did, she shrugged it off and hanged it from the hook that was available.

Closing the locker, she walked back towards the classroom, throwing a glance over at Nan who had remained in place.

_You coming?_

"I'm think I should sit these first day classes out, Chime. Give you a chance to gather your bearings. I'll see you at lunch and you can tell me everything, okay?"

_Alright_, Bella agreed as Nan disappeared.

Bella was never really sure where Nan went, or what she did, but she figured it wasn't any of her business anyways. Though, knowing her mischievous Nan, she'd probably be making objects float somewhere and scaring the bejebbers out of someone.

Though Nan had always maintained her innocence, there had been an _incident_ involving Myra Muntz (Nan's oldest rival) running out of her house in the dead of night in nothing more than a nightgown, with curlers in her hair and night cream on her face screaming that her house was haunted. She ended up moving out of town two weeks later.

_Yes_, Bella thought, offering a half smile at the curious teacher, _I definitely don't want to know._

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_**A/N2: I'm not sure exactly how American schools work (or in what ways they're different from Canadian schools), so I'm really drawing on how my own high school (including the time I transferred mid-way through a term) operated... or how it operated when I was in school. A new term started the second to last week of January and since I mentioned in the last chapter we were a week into the new term, that puts us at (according to a 2005 calendar) January 31st. Not like that is really all that important... ;P**  
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	3. Lunch Time

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N1: Thanks for all the Reviews, Favorites and Followers! I was worried for a second that it wasn't appealing to people as much as my other stories are! :)  
**_

**********_You'll get your first peek at the Cullen's here, and it's when you'll start to notice I'm playing with the original events. It's really only the smallest change, specifically the clothes they were wearing (silly I know), but I thought I'd point it out that I'm well aware that they're not the same. Call me crazy, but I hated what they were all originally wearing. What the heck was up with all that white?_  
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"So? How was it?"

Bella leaned further back into the tree, the turkey sandwich she had purchased at the caf in one hand and a book in the other.

She was the only one in the small courtyard and had no doubt that more than a few people were giving her a peculiar look from the windows that lined the cafeteria walls.

She was just so used to eating outdoors in Phoenix and it was proving to be a hard habit to break. Considering it was almost February, it obviously wasn't as warm as she'd hoped, and the sky was depressingly overcast. But there wasn't snow on the ground today, not like she was sitting directly on the ground anyways, a conveniently placed tree root took care of that. Besides it still relatively mild enough to be comfortable and there was a refreshingly crisp scent to the air.

_Not bad,_ she replied (she figured they were already staring at the '_weird girl outside'_ and really didn't want to upgrade that to the '_weird girl talking to herself outside' _so she kept the conversation silent.) _Pretty much what I was expecting. Stares, whispers, a few curious questions._

"Any potential friends in the lot?"

Bella shrugged. _Not really. There was a girl in my English class, Laura or Lauren maybe; I can't really remember, who attempted to engage. She came on sort of aggressive and the guy next to her practically leered at me when she wasn't looking. They invited me to sit with them. Well, he did I should say._

"Why didn't you?"

_I thought I was supposed to ease into my first day? Nothing about those two screamed easy... _She smirked._ At least not in the way I'm implying._

"You're horrible."

_The girl was the same 'indecent' one from earlier this morning._

"Oh, well I take it back then."

Bella finished off the last bite of her sandwich and reached down to grab the bottle of water resting beside her bag.

"Chime..."

The entreating tone in Nan's voice had Bella abandoning her quest for the bottle and turning toward her with a questioning gaze.

Instead of explaining, Nan pointed.

She followed her line of sight in time to see the equivalent of a Gap Model Parade marching towards the exterior cafeteria doors.

Seriously, even from her distance, she could tell that the group of five teens were ridiculously attractive.

Thanks to her position and that of the tree (it wasn't exactly in the middle of the courtyard but a few feet to the right instead) and the fact that they were facing her direction, she was angled perfectly to watch their approach and was tempted to stare. Knowing she could sense it whenever someone was doing the same though, she returned her eyes to the open book in her hand.

_Nan?_ She asked.

"No problem, Chime."

Bella relaxed her mind and was immediately assaulted with a barrage of images. It wasn't something she did often, considering it usually left her with a wicked headache (and she never had any reason to use this particular _ability_ that Nan had anyways), but she was now seeing what Nan saw.

The group was led by a petite black haired girl, she had elfin facial features and her small body was draped in clothing that practically screamed _'I'm designer and you could never afford me!'_ Although judging by the eye watering shade of pink her shirt was, she overpaid. Besides her feet, the rest of her body seemed to be in a perpetual state of motion, as she waved her hands and talked excitedly to the stone faced boy beside her.

Like the girl, his clothes were of the higher end and perfectly pressed. In fact everything about him was styled to a tee, from the tip of his, Bella imagined, _deliberately_ messy bronze hair, down the gray cashmere sweater and black slacks that encased his thin body to the shined shoes he had on his feet. Taken together, the whole outfit made him look like a teacher's assistant, and if it wasn't for his obvious youth, Bella would have easily believed it.

_'He is too pretty to be a boy,'_ she decided, but the broody look on his face pretty much ruined any appeal he might have had. He looked like he had issues. _Major ones._

The other three trailed slightly behind them, as if they weren't in a particular hurry to get to their destination. Two of them were an obvious couple, judging by their entwined hands.

The female half of the pairing was incredibly beautiful. Her long, straight blond hair brushed past her shoulders. She appeared to be roughly the same height as Nan and in possession of a rather voluptuous figure, which was enhanced by the tailored outfit she wore. Unlike the other two though, Bella imagined she could wear a garbage bag and still manage to look fabulous. Added to the classical beauty of her face, Bella was in serious danger of developing a bit of a girl-crush.

"She looks like Jean Harlow," Nan commented.

Though her lovely facial features shared of the same sternness (or perhaps the correct word would be haughtiness) as the glowery bronzed haired boy, it was softened by the indulgent smile aimed at dark, short-haired male she held hands with.

Thanks to his impressive size, ("built like a linebacker," Nan muttered) the dark black shirt he wore practically stretched to the limits over his chest, he could almost be considered intimidating. Almost, if not for the boyish grin that lit up the boyish features of his face (and the dimples it produced) as he shared a laugh with the final member of the group, who was sadly half blocked by the laughing giants ridiculously large frame. All Bella could make out was a flash of green and a head of blond hair.

"Do you want me to move closer?" Nan offered.

Though strangely intrigued, Bella shook her head. _Nah, I'm sure I'll see them around school._

Nan cut off the connection and was silent for a moment. "Really look at them for a second, Chime."

Bella raised her eyes up from her book, as long as she kept it short, she could indulge Nan. _Yeah?_

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Bella squinted. Now that she looked harder, she realized how unnaturally pale they all were and how they were dressed rather... light for strolling around outside in January. Sure, she probably wasn't one to judge (Hello! Sitting outside in the cold) but she had a thick, wool jacket on. And why were they entering the cafeteria from the outside anyways? Where were they coming from? They also appeared to share the same golden eyes.

But she had a feeling that none of those things were what Nan was referring too. No, she was undoubtedly talking about the almost indiscernible shimmery silver glow that encased all six members.

She turned to Nan, seeing the same, slightly brighter glow. _Depends. What exactly are you seeing?_

"Death."

_Wow. Melodramatic much? _The group had finally reached the cafeteria doors and Bella watched as a younger red-haired girl who had just exited stepped back in awe and managed to catch a brief glimpse of the back of the fifth member as they entered. Despite the length of the golden hair, the slight swagger to their walk and the leanness of their frame made her absolutely certain it was a _he_. She admired the flex of his shoulders under the dark green fabric (_'my favorite color'_ she noted absently) and the way the faded blue jeans he wore hugged his... ***_ahem_*** hips. She wondered if the front looked as good as the back.

_I'm pretty sure they're not ghosts. That girl there is obviously seeing them._ Said girl wavered on her feet. _She looks like she's going to swoon actually._

"I didn't say they were ghosts, Chime."

_So what? Some mad scientist injected a bunch of teenage corpses with some experimental serum and they came back all 're-animator' style?_ She chuckled. _Or better yet, maybe they're all..._ she trailed off. _Oh god, they're vampires, aren't they? _She groaned and began thumping her head against the tree.

Best. First. Day. Ever.

**-oo-**

Jasper ignored the food on his tray (it's not like he was going to eat it anyways) and subtlety turned his gaze back towards the window to observe the peculiar girl who was now lightly banging her head against the trunk of the tree she was leaning on.

He had noticed her out of the corner of his eye when he had first walked by (it was hard _not_ to notice someone sitting outside in the middle of winter) and had been intrigued by the mild curiosity that had quickly turned into disinterest when she turned her attention back to the book in her hand. Obviously the book couldn't have been that exciting because, so far, she hadn't turned a single page in ten minutes.

Most of the humans at this school (or anywhere really) couldn't help but stare at them with some form of awe, lust, fear or some combination of the three, so her reaction was a little strange.

Apparently Jasper wasn't being as inconspicuous as he thought.

"Who is that?" An amused voice boomed from his right.

Jasper turned to see Emmett grinning mischievously, a _'totally caught you bro'_ look on his face.

"New girl," Rose supplied. "Haven't you heard the people talking around school about her?"

"Yeah, they say she's weird," Alice piped up. "And obviously they're right. What kind of person eats their lunch outside in January?"

Jasper ignored her, they weren't really ones to judge. Half of them had strolled in here in clothes that would be better fit for spring. "What's her name?" He asked Rose instead.

"Swan something. She's Chief Swan's daughter apparently."

"She's cute," Emmett cut in with a playful leer, which was subsequently wiped out by a forceful jab to his ribs by the blond beauty beside him.

_She's beautiful,_ Jasper corrected internally, admiring the tilt of her face as she threw back her head and laughed at something. The movement sent the long locks that had been gathered on her shoulder tumbling behind her back. Enhanced eyes skitted over smooth, pale skin (that almost rivaled theirs) and soft, delicate features that were slightly distorted, thanks to the glass that was between him and her. He wished he were closer so he could get a better look, and to find out it that wonderful (but sadly faint) scent that tickled his nose belonged to her.

He turned away from the window with a slight grimace. Having some strange guy standing over you, too intrigued to do anything but stare and smell you? He couldn't imagine that would go over to well.

Even less if she knew what he was.

**-oo-**

"One of them is staring at you again."

_Probably perusing the menu_, Bella replied cheekily, throwing her head back with a laugh.

"You're taking this surprisingly well."

_Why wouldn't I? I've been seeing and talking to my dead grandmother for years. It takes a lot to faze me._

"This is different, Chime."

_This isn't the first time I've heard the 'V' word, Nan._

**-oo-**

It had been a year after the 'Mr. Steiner incident' (and mere months before her death) when Nan had sat her down at the kitchen table, a solemn look on her face.

"I'd like to share something with you, something you can never tell anyone else."

Equal parts excited and scared, eleven year old Bella had nodded.

"It was early spring of '49 and I was two months pregnant with your grandmother, Sandra. I had a job at this little Mom and Pop store that was about a ten minute walk from our house at the time. It didn't pay much, but it helped get us by. My Will, rest his soul, was just getting his carpentry business off the ground and with one child already and another on the way, we needed all the help we could get.

"One day I was working, we had a problem with one of the girls and I was asked to work a double. Though Will hated me working at night, I took it anyways. We couldn't afford a car at that point, so when I couldn't get a drive from one of the other girls, I usually walked home. I had never had a problem before so I didn't hesitate."

She paused to take a long sip of the lukewarm tea in front of her.

"There was a shortcut through an alley that cut five minutes off my walk, and though I had never used it at night before, usually opting to take the long way around when I worked the odd late shift, I was bone tired at that point and anxious to get home.

"Focused on the opening alley ahead of me, and that I was halfway home, I didn't hear it when someone came up behind me. All I I felt was someone crashing into me and pushing me into the brick wall of one of the shops. Hard. I managed to twist myself so that my shoulder took the impact.

"There was no lights in the alley and the only one was on the street a few meters away from us. It was enough to give the rough impression of a male figure, but all I could really make out were his eyes. They glowed red.

"I screamed and he covered my mouth... his hand was so cold." She shivered in remembrance. "Then he leaned towards my neck and he..."

She trailed off and beckoned Bella over. Pulling down the shoulder of her shirt, she drew her gaze to a faint mark that Bella had never noticed before.

"Nan, those look like-"

"Bite marks." She nodded.

Bella raised one shaking hand and softly traced the indentations. "It's cold!" She exclaimed.

"That part of skin has always been cooler than normal for some reason."

"Was it a... a..." A part of her felt too silly to even ask and Nan seemed to sense it.

"Believe me, Chime, a part of me has felt the same way for almost fifty years. But I haven't doubted for a single second that I was dealing with a vampire that night."

"How did you get away?"

"That part is even more incredible. He had only had his teeth in me for thirty seconds, though in my terror it felt like hours, when he was ripped away and I could hear the sounds of a struggle followed by the most horrible metallic screeching sound. Then a male voice in the darkness spoke: _'You're safe Ma'am, go home. And stay outta dark alleyways in the future.'_" She chuckled at this part.

"The last thing I saw before I ran the rest of the way home was a flash of bright gold and though I'm not sure why, a part of me just knew that my rescuer was a vampire too."

"You mean, like, a good vampire?"

"I don't know if there is such a thing, sweetheart. Maybe I just caught him on a day he was feeling generous."

"Did you tell great-granddaddy?"

"It would be the first and only moment I had ever lied to him in our 44 years together. I told him a dog had bitten me."

"A dog?" Bella replied skeptically.

"He had been so concerned for me and the baby, I think he would have believed anything I told him. But he did make me promise never to work a night shift again. That was a promise I had no trouble keeping."

"Why are you telling me then?"

"Those feelings you get, Chime. I'm not foolish enough to believe he was the only one and with the way the world has changed, who knows how well they can blend in with the rest of us. So, like I told you that day, _always_ trust your feelings. And if they have red eyes, run."

**-oo-**

Remembering that conversation, the smile faded from her lips. _Should I be worried? Do you think they'll hurt me?_

"I can't answer that," Nan admitted honestly.

_Well, the gold eyes... that could have been the flash you seen that night. That could mean they're good vampires._

"Possibly. But you have to remember that, while red definitely means stop, yellow means proceed with caution."

The bell rang, bringing an end to the heavy conversation.

_And that means I have to proceed to class._

"We'll need to discuss this more, Chime. The fact that they're out during the day," Nan looked up at the overcast sky, "sun or not, changes things significantly."

Bella stood and dusted off the back of her pants._ It's not like I can go home right now, Nan. Renee's on the road with Phil again. _She couldn't be sure if she even _would_ go back if it had been an option. Nan had been the binding glue between the two of them, and when she'd died, things had gotten... tense. She had always sensed that Renee was a little overwhelmed by being a mother and without Nan around to (as harsh as it sounded) _force_ her into playing her role, she had just given up.

"It might not have to come to that. The fact they are making an effort to blend in, by going to high school of all things, must mean something." Nan stared off in the distance. "Listen, I'll meet you at home. Seems like I have to look a little closer at this town. Be careful."

_I will, I promise._

"Have fun in Biology," she added before disappearing.

"Yeah, fun," she muttered._  
_

**-oo-**

"C'mon, Jazzy, I'll walk to class with you!"

Emmett snickered like he always did when Alice called him that ridiculous nickname.

"Alice," Jasper replied exasperatedly, "_your_ class is on the opposite side of the building."

"So? I can still-"

Emmett stood cutting her off. "Sorry, Ally, but he already promised to walk me to my class. Isn't that right, Jazzy?" He asked, fluttering his eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

Jasper was tempted to send him a shit load of lust just as Hector, Forks High's only out student who had a _ridiculous_ crush on Emmett, walked by.

"Right, _Emmy_." He replied through clenched teeth instead.

"But, Jazzy!" Alice whined.

Edward closed a hand around Alice's thin arm with a haughty sniff. "C'mon, you can walk me to Biology."

"Fine." Alice pouted as she let Edward tug her away.

When she was finally gone, Emmett turned to Jasper with a grin. "So, do you want to hold hands to class, Jaz-"

"I will kill you in your sleep," Jasper cut him off with a sinister hiss.

"HA!" Emmett pointed at him in triumph. "We don't sleep. So there."

Jasper cocked an eyebrow, and Emmett swayed as he was hit with an overwhelming wave of lethargy. "Wha..." he blinked drowsily.

Jasper smirked. "You were saying?" Argument firmly in his back pocket, Jasper lazily made his way towards class, chuckling as Emmett whispered hysterically to Rose behind him.

"If he can make me _tired_, what the hell else can he make me feel?!"

He could hear the amusement in Rose's voice when she answered. "Oh, we'll definitely be finding that out later."

"Babe!"

**-oo-**

With her first day officially under her belt, and feeling sufficiently creeped out, Bella made a b-line towards the office the minute the final bell rang.

The clacking stopped when Ms. Cope looked up from her keyboard.

"Miss Swan, how was your first day?"

"It was fine, thank you."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Bella nodded. "You said something about switching my schedule this morning. Is that still possible?"

"Ah yes." Ms. Cope returned her attention to the computer and with a few clicks of the mouse, pulled up the proper document. "What class was it you were interested in switching again?"

"Biology," Bella stated firmly.

**-oo-**

An hour later, Bella breathed a sigh of relief now that she was safely ensconced in the (semi) familiarity of her childhood bedroom.

"So why did you switch that class again, Chime?"

"One of them was in the same class. He didn't... he didn't feel right, Nan. And his eyes..."

"His eyes?" Nan replied, panicked. "They didn't turn red did they?"

"No, they were dark. Black." She shuddered. _'Hungry,'_ she admitted silently to herself.

**-oo-**

She had felt off the minute she had walked into the classroom, which was completely understandable. It's not every day one finds out that they're attending school with not one (which was bad enough) but _five_ vampires.

She may have been blasé about the whole thing with Nan, but the truth was, it had left her unsettled. Nan was right, there was no proof these were 'good' vampires. They could just be using this place as their personal feeding ground. She eyed a cluster of laughing teens in the corner as she approached the teacher's desk. She doubted the students would be this cheerful if they were really being picked off one by one.

The bell rang as the teacher took the slip of paper from her hand and murmured a welcome after glancing down at it. He turned to the, now seated, students and she scanned the classroom as he gave a brief introduction, smiling wanly as he introduced her as _Isabella_. The smile slipped from her lips when her eyes connected with a dark glare that belonged to the broodier member of the 'Vamp Five'. The teacher's assistant.

And wasn't it just her luck.

The only empty seat was right next to him.

**-oo-**

"The teacher made me sit by him. He spent the entire hour glaring at me and holding his breath like he smelled something rank." She sniffed at herself self-consciously. "Do I smell?"

Nan patted the bed space beside her and encouraged Bella to curl up next to her.

"Perhaps, Chime. But not the way you're thinking," she murmured gravely.

Bella shuddered again.

"Then I made the right decision. I sure as hell am not going to sit through another class of that."

"I agree." Nan began to run her fingers soothingly through her hair and Bella took a few minutes to enjoy the sensation.

"Did you find anything out?" She asked drowsily.

Nan nodded. "They live in a house at the edge of town, in the woods, about a mile off the road. It's an interesting house, I'll give you that. Definitely not what I expected. But it's a bit of an eyesore, especially for a simple town like this."

"An eyesore, huh? Is it worse than that orange and lime green house we passed on the way to school?"

"_Nothing_ is worse than that house."

Bella was curious. "What weren't you expecting?"

"Windows. Half of that house seemed to be made of glass."

Bella sat up. "But how is that possible?"

"Chime, all anyone really thinks they know about vampires comes from Hollywood. Who knows what they got wrong. Or worse, what they got _right_."

"Anything else?"

"There was a woman fiddling with a flower arrangement in the kitchen, which I might add was fully stocked with every gleaming appliance imaginable. Why they'd need them, I haven't the slightest idea."

Bella groaned. "Nan... please tell me you didn't go into the house."

"Didn't you hear the part about the overabundance of windows?" She asked, exasperated. "There was a large one spanning across the back kitchen wall that gave me a nice, clear view. Now may I continue?" She huffed.

Bella stifled a grin and nodded.

"She looked older than the other five, so I'm assuming she's the mother figure. She got a call from someone named 'Carlisle' who..." she trailed off at the suspicious look on Bella's face. "Oh for heaven's sake, the window was _open_. I don't just go tramping around in people's houses, you know."

"Mrs. Muntz," Bella replied smugly.

Nan turned her head away. "I'm sure I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Right..." Bella smirked.

"_Anyways_," Nan continued loudly, "judging by the cutesy name she called him, he's probably her husband. Which brings the total up to seven." She paused and shook her head, mystified. "I know I should be worried, but honestly, vampires calling each other _honey bear_? What _has_ the world come to?"

Bella snickered. "I bet Bram Stoker's rolling in his grave right now."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was a vampire who wrote that story himself, but padded it because he was too embarrassed to show the fuzzy side."

"Not all vampire's are fuzzy," Bella replied solemnly.

"No," Nan agreed, raising a hand to rub at her scar. "They're not."

Sliding from the bed, Bella began pacing the room. "So what do we do now?"

Nan shook her head sadly. "Do? I doubt there's much we can do."

Bella's shoulders slumped. She was right.

The only person she could really ask for help from would be Charlie, but that thought disappeared as quickly as it came. She could just imagine that conversation.

_"Charlie, there's a group of vampire's in Forks. Five of which are teens I go to school with."_

_They're be a pause. Then a tear would begin to stubbornly trail its way down a grizzled cheek._

_"Don't worry," he'd swear, turning away and biting his knuckles to prevent a frustrated sob, "your mother and I will get you the best help money can buy."_

_Hours later, she'd be strapped into a straight jacket and loaded into an ambulance by two burly orderlies as she screamed about vampires, dead grandmothers, and the gnomes that hid in her dresser drawers and stole her socks so she never had a matching pair. _

"Sock gnomes," Bella mumbled glancing down as she wiggled the toes of the mismatched pair currently on her feet.

"For the last time, Chime... _if_ they exist, I don't know anything about them."

Bella was firmly convinced she _had_ to say that.

"And I'm not just saying it because of some sort of 'Gnome Conspiracy'." Nan flashed her an amused, but loving smile. "Did I ever tell you that I love your thought process sometimes?"

"Of course. That's why I'm your favorite grandchild."

"You're my only grandchild," Nan corrected.

Bella made a _pshaw_ sound. "Technicalities."

Downstairs, a door banged open and Charlie's voice traveled up the stairs. "Bella? You home?"

"Don't you think that the truck parked in the driveway would have already answered that question?" Nan commented wryly.

"Be nice," Bella whispered before raising her voice to yell, "yeah, I'm here!"

"Well, come downstairs. I brought home pizza for supper!"

Nan shooed her out of the room and Bella crossed her fingers as she trudged down the stairs.

_'Please don't let there be anchovies.'_

"Hope you like anchovies!"

Best. Day. Ever.

* * *

_**A/N2: I wasn't one hundred percent sure if venom was always injected when a vampire fed but if it is let's just say that, for the sake of the story, unless they're intending to turn someone (or attacking another vampire), there is only the slightest amount present. Just enough to scar your outer skin, but not enough to do any damage internally, mmkay?**_

_**Keep those reviews coming and let me know what you think. I genuinely want to know if people are enjoying my story and love hearing any and all thoughts you may have. I try to make the effort to answer each one of them, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Be forewarned, I'm do have a tendency to be a little... long winded :)  
**_


	4. Let's Make History

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: I figured what better way to celebrate the fact that the world didn't end, then with a new chapter!  
_**

**********_Let it be known that, although he is referred to as Emmett CULLEN in the book, he will be Emmett MCCARTY here. I have spoken.. ;P_  
**

**********_*ADDED NOTE* For the GUEST who just asked me this, I should probably note that the character of NAN is nothing more then a product of my own creation. She IS NOT featured in the Twilight 'verse at all (she's to awesome for that ;)). Although Bella's grandmother- and Renee's mother's name- is technically Marie, I changed it to SANDRA in the very first chapter.  
_**

* * *

The final warning bell pealed as Bella raced towards her classroom. Her second day and already she was late. Guess there was something about going to school with vampires that really made you not want to get up in the morning.

She stumbled through the door just as the bell tapered off; smiling sheepishly at the warning look her teacher shot her and quickly made her way towards her seat.

_This really isn't necessary,_ Bella insisted as Nan trailed behind her.

"Chime, until we can be absolutely sure that nothing is going to happen, I'm going to accompany you to your classes.

_But now that I've dropped Biology, I don't even have classes with any of them._

"You switched one class for another; you don't know that for certain."

She really hated when Nan was right.

Not psychic, my ass.

**-oo-**

Pouting, Bella headed towards her new class, rubbing her chapped hands together in an attempt to generate some heat.

It probably hadn't been the best idea, stubbornly insisting on eating outside despite the significant drop in temperature.

She had listened to Nan scold her for a good fifteen minutes before finally snapping:

_Considering my luck lately, the only available table will be right beside them. I really don't think I can handle 45 minutes of being glared at while Mr. TA licks his damn lips._

Nan had remained silent for the rest of the lunch break.

_I'm sorry, Nan,_ she finally offered when she'd stopped by her locker to stuff her jacket in.

"It's alright, Chime. I know this is going to be difficult to work around."

_And it's only my second day,_ she bemoaned.

Reaching the door to her History class, she was thankful she was wearing a hoodie with pockets, gratefully sticking her chilled hands into them.

Head down, she shuffled through the door, grumbling to herself_. 'Serves me right for not listening to...'_

She trailed off as she felt the familiar sensation of being stared at and jerked her head up just as Nan inhaled sharply.

Groaning silently, Bella once again lamented her luck.

It seems she had traded in a class with only one vampire to one with _three_.

**-oo-**

Jasper's head rose when a semi-familiar scent drew closer to the door, growing in strength with each passing second. It was the scent from the courtyard yesterday, only stronger. The smell of peaches and cream.

The strongest, and really only memory that remained of his younger, human years, had involved him falling asleep under a peach tree. The warm sun beating down on him through the branches and the smell of the sweet, ripe fruit surrounding him. Given its rarity, it was a memory he cherished and he felt like he was back under that tree as a figure appeared in the doorway and he was hit with the full power of their scent.

It was _her_.

Rose must have seen the look on his face, because she leaned across her desk concerned and, in a voice low enough for only him and Emmett to hear, whispered, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Even he could hear the surprise in his voice.

But it seemed like for the first time in... well _ever_ really, his throat didn't burn and he didn't feel any desire for her blood. Instead he felt comfort, mixed with the intoxicating (and almost unheard of, at least for him) taste of _peace_.

And if her scent wasn't perfect enough, she had the look to match it as well.

He had tried to catch a glimpse of her this morning in the parking lot, but there was no sight of her even five minutes before the first bell rung. Not wanting to draw any of the others suspicions (or more specifically, _Alice's_), he had given up and reluctantly made his way to class. But now he was getting his chance and he wasn't disappointed.

Her hair was loose again today and the long, thick locks spilled over the tight hoodie that stretched over her generous curves. The dark burgundy of the fabric added together with the lighting overhead, offset the similarly colored natural highlights spun throughout her glossy hair.

A pair of dark blue skinny jeans clung to her long, lithe legs and a battered pair of forest-green converse were on her feet. He head was tilted down towards said feet, so at first he couldn't get a clear look at her face.

That changed when Rose and Emmett grew curious about what had drawn (and subsequently captured) his attention and turned to stare as well.

No doubt feeling the weight of the three heavy gazes, her head had snapped up.

He was convinced.

She was _perfect._

Her clear skin wasn't as pale as it had appeared the other day; instead a rosy blush tinged her high cheekbones. Not from any makeup, that he was certain of. He had seen her shivering out in the courtyard at lunch and had shut Alice down when she made a scathing remark questioning the girls sanity.

Dark eyebrows curved slightly over wide chocolate eyes framed with thick, sooty lashes. She had a small, thin nose that trailed down towards pouty, dusty rose lips. Lips she was currently nibbling on.

Jasper fought the urge to groan and reached out to sample her emotions, equal parts surprised and confused by what he felt.

They were amazingly steady for a teenager, a _female_ teenager at that. They simply flowed into one emotion after the next, instead of rapidly flicking through them like a bunny on speed, which sadly was the norm. The people at this school had issues and if it were possible, he was certain he'd go home with a headache every day... though he supposed having to feed more often than the others could probably be considered the vampire version of a headache.

She went from surprise, to resignation, to (Jasper grinned internally as she watched her blush lightly) attraction, back to frustration tinged in anger before finally settling on resolve as she straightened her back and marched stiffly over to Mr. Hill's desk.

His gaze fell back to his desk and he frowned as he ran over his emotions in his head. It wasn't so much the main ones that had confused him, but the slight sprinkle that had tainted each one. It was so faint, he almost hadn't caught it.

Why was she feeling fear?

**-oo-**

_No, Nan. Dropping this class is not an option. I need the credit and I don't really feel like going to summer school to get it._

"Maybe you could do some sort of home school thing for it instead?"

_Even if I could, would you like to explain to them why I want to drop this class so quickly after dropping the first one?_

Her shoulder figuratively slumped. _I can't spend the rest of this year and the next walking around on eggshells. I won't,_ she decided firmly, swallowing her fear and crossing the room to the teacher's desk and handing him her slip.

More students drifted in as he glanced down at it.

"Welcome to History, Isabella."

She wasn't doing _this_ again. "I prefer Bella," she replied politely.

"Bella," he reiterated with a nod. "I'm Mr. Hill and I was once a new kid myself, so I won't make you go through the pain of having to introduce yourself to the rest of the class. They'll get to know you soon enough."

She doubted it, but nodded her head in agreement anyways.

The bell rang loudly, as a few stragglers strolled through the door.

"The seats aren't assigned, so feel free to sit where you like."

Bella wanted to scoff. She had gotten here a week into classes, definitely long enough for territory to be clearly staked. She looked around the room and saw only three empty seats. One was in the front of Mr. Hill's desk, a seat that Bella would sooner listen to twelve continuous hours of nails on a chalkboard before sitting in. The other was in the back row beside the hulking gi-vamp who was grinning in her direction and the final in front of the back corner desk where the, judging by the familiar golden hair, last member of the 'I Was a Teenage Vampire' group sat. His head was bowed and the slightly wavy locks barely grazed the desk top.

Strangely comforted by his passive-aggressive stance ('_much better than being glared at_,' she decided), she bypassed the front desk, studiously ignored Mr. Smiley, and slid into the third choice, stumbling slightly when topaz eyes peeked at her briefly from behind the curtain of his hair.

She cursed at the warmth that bloomed in her cheeks at the deep chuckle that unquestionably belonged to the grinning goof.

Nan floated by her and perched herself on a low table that was conveniently situated against the wall next to Bella's desk.

"I'm not sure if this was the best place, Chime."

_I'd rather sit in front of one then beside one. I already learned that lesson the first time._

"The front seemed fine to me."

_There's a reason that seat is empty, Nan. I'll be fine._

Cutting off the mental conversation, she pulled out a fresh notebook from her bag and resolutely looked forward. _'Just gotta keep my eyes forward and ignore them,'_ she told herself.

Something told her it wasn't going to be as easy as that.

Though she was positive it was all in her head, it was like she could feel the breath of the male behind her ruffling her hair. But unless 'super breath' was a vampire ability, (and if it was, _worst power EVER_) she doubted it was possible. There was enough space for a person (albeit a skinny person) to squeeze between each desk. She supposed he could be currently leaning over said desk, but she hoped to god Nan would give her a heads up if some strange vampire was breathing heavily on her like some pervert making an obscene phone call.

But at least she could say it was a resounding yes to the question she had asked herself yesterday. The boy behind her definitely looked as good from the front as he did from the back. Better even.

She'd never admit it to Nan, but despite the initial flash of fear, _that_ had been the real reason she'd hesitated in the doorway. When his eyes had connected with hers, she had been stunned.

At her old high school, there had been this quintessential surfer-blond guy who had been a transfer from California. All the girls would subsequently drop ten IQ points and turn into giggling, flirty messes whenever he was around. Of course Bella, not seeing what the big deal was considering his arrogant personality detracted from whatever attractiveness he might have had, had been partnered with him for a big English project. He had blown her off the entire week, before finally inviting her over to his house the _day_ before it was due to, _'work on it'. _

Apparently what he wanted to work on was _her_.

He spent the better part of an hour trying to cajole her into bed, convinced she had been merely playing hard to get. Somehow kneeing him in the junk and calling him a douche had turned into, _'she was all over me, man'_, the next day.

She decided she would hate all blond men on principal after that.

That pretty much disappeared as she eyed his silky blond stands, her fingers twitching in her pocket as they made their desperation to run through it known.

He was as beautiful as the other four, but his looks were a bit more rugged and lacked the vaguely feminine qualities that the broody one possessed or the adorableness of the large-pire. Chiseled would be a better word to describe his features and added with his pale skin, was enough to make her believe that Michelangelo himself had carved them from the finest marble.

Eyebrows a shade or two darker then his hair sat over intense, melted-gold eyes that were similar to his (what did you call a group of Vampire's anyway? _'A murder perhaps?'_ she snorted) _kin_ but somehow different. A little harder, like they had seen things that they couldn't unsee. His lush, pale pink lips were pulled up slightly at one corner and...

_'I want to kiss them,' _she realized with sudden clarity. She felt a blush creep on her cheeks at the wayward thought.

All in all, the attraction was immediate and staggering and it took all her willpower to grow angry enough at herself in an attempt build up the resolve it took to finally march over to the teacher's desk.

_'I am not attracted to a vampire,'_ she told herself as the teacher began rattling off attendance. She tuned out the names being called, before going rigid when the name _Jasper Hale_ was said and a throaty voice (with only slightest hint of a Southern inflection on account of the short word) answered, "Present."

She didn't have to look around to know who said that, or the bell-like voice who answered to the name _Rosalie Hale._

_'Brother and sister,'_ she pondered. It made sense. They did look enough alike to be considered siblings.

She heard Nan sigh girlishly beside her. "Do you hear that, Chime? It's going to be so hard to hate a man with a Southern accent."

Her Grampy Will had been from Dallas and though she had never heard his accent in person, Nan had a recording he had gifted her with on their fortieth wedding anniversary a few years before he passed away. On it, he had strummed along to a guitar, his thick drawl crooning along to 'You Are My Sunshine.'

When she was a little girl, Nan would play it for Bella every night before she went to bed. Tears would always be glistening in her eyes by the end of it and as she got older, she had made Bella promise that she'd marry a southern man because, '_Southern men are hard workers who are good to their mama's. And any man that is good to his mother will be good to you.'_

_I believe we've had the conversation about judging people on their accents before, Nan.  
_

"If you're talking about the two people I think you're talking about, that had everything to do with their rotten personalities. The fact that they both happened to have the same accent is irrelevant."

_Sure._

Her attention was drawn back away from Nan by the loud voice that shouted: "I have graced you with my presence yet again!" in response to the name _Emmett McCarty_ being called. Ducking her head and using her hair as a shield, she gave into the urge to grin.

There was no question about it now; the guy was obviously a big goof. But was it all an act? Did each of the vampires have a part they played so they could 'blend in'?

So far it was Emmett the goofy, Rosalie the beauty queen, Ed-something the creepy and Jasper... the mysterious(ly good looking). In addition to the parental figures Nan had told her about yesterday, one of which she only knew the name of, that left two without names. The mother figure and the short, pixie like one. She wondered what roles they played.

She spent the rest of the class in a daze and despite the notes on the board, her notebook remained as pristine as when she first opened it.

_That was definitely a productive class, _she snarked to Nan as the bell rang.

"Whose fault was that?"

_Aren't you supposed to be on my side?_

"You were the one that said you weren't going to let them interfere with passing this class, Chime."

_Quiet you_, she grumbled, reaching over for the bag she had placed on the floor at the side of her desk closest to Nan.

She looked up when she felt a waft of air signalling that someone had walked by her, the delicious scent of dark chocolate and cinnamon tickling her nose and found herself once again admiring the muscles of a familiar back flex beneath the fabric that covered it. Navy blue this time. It paired nicely with his pale skin.

"No man has the right to smell that good," she mumbled, flushing when he paused briefly at the door, his lips quirking before following Beauty and the Brawn out.

Okay, super _hearing_ was a definite go.

_'Dammit.'_

**-oo-**

Jasper watched as Emmett fidgeted behind the wheel.

"What was that?" He finally asked.

"What was what?" Jasper replied lazily, turning to stare out the window. They were almost home. He was actually surprised that Emmett had managed to last this long without asking.

"That class, what was going on with that girl?"

"Nothing," Jasper replied uneasily. Even after spending an entire class staring at the back of her head and the class afterwards staring blankly at the board, he was still trying to filter through the whole thing himself.

"Jay man, I may be slow on the uptake sometimes, but that wasn't nothing."

"I was just getting a feel for the new girl that everyone was talking about."

"Oh, I believe you wanted to _feel_ her alright." Emmett smirked. His face grew serious. "But really, what was that?"

"I don't know," Jasper reluctantly admitted. He had an inkling about what it was but wasn't sure if he wanted to put a name to it right yet. He frowned when he caught Rose's knowing smile reflected in the windshield glass. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, mimicking Jasper's accent.

They pulled into the dooryard and Jasper grimaced as he caught sight of Edward's silver Volvo already parked in the driveway. He had a feeling Alice was waiting in the house prepared to give him hell for refusing to drive home with her today (not that it was different from every other day) and really wanted to get a chance to center his thoughts before it inevitably happened. It was impossible to put off an Ali-Rant forever, as much as you may wish it.

Leaving his bag in the jeep, he hopped out, throwing, "I'm going for a hunt," over his shoulder.

"But I want to know!" Emmett whined behind him.

_'Join the club,'_ Jasper thought as he darted into the trees.

**-oo-**

"What is it, Chime?"

Bella sighed. She had been playing it cool since the minute she got home, but she should have known better then to try to fool Nan.

"Nothing," she said, pulling on her pajama pants.

She winced when she got hit with the full power of Nan's, _'tell me or else'_ stare.

"It's just... argg I don't know!" She exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. She shot a guilty look at the closed door where the muted sounds of a baseball game drifted up from downstairs and lowered her voice. "I think.. I don't.. It's just..." Finally giving up, she slumped down on the bed.

Nan took a seat beside her and encouraged her to spread out. Pulling the covers over her, she gently ran a hand through her hair. "You don't have to explain anything, Chime. I know this is all a lot to take in."

"But I don't think that's it, Nan." There was a vulnerable quiver to her voice. "I've seen some strange things," she mumbled with a fond smile as she wound her fingers through Nan's warm hand. "I should be scared, I know I should be, but this feels different. It feels like my life is about to change and I don't... I don't know if it's good thing or bad thing."

"We'll figure it out," she shushed.

Bella closed her eyes when Nan began humming gently and, despite it being nowhere near Christmas, let the sound of _Silver Bells_ lull her to sleep.

* * *

**_A/N2: Yeah, I changed Bella's scent. Big woop. Wanna fight about it? ;)_**

**_I'm allergic to flowers. Even writing freesias makes me sneeze. *Achoo* See what I mean?_ **


	5. Yes, I'm a Ninja

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: Consider this an early Christmas present! :)  
_**

**********_Kay, I warned you I was gonna be switching things up, and you're gonna get a serious taste of that here. Not only with the events of the next two chapters being out of order (they just worked better for the story that way) but also with one (or should I say another considering I'm not exactly nice to Alice... again) character in particular. I guess we'll be getting into the dreaded OOC territory right about now._  
**

**********_And yes... you're one chapter away from finally getting the Bella and Jasper interactions you all crave. :D  
_**

* * *

Thursday.

One more day and she would officially have two weeks at Forks High under her belt (and thankfully all the blood still in her body.)

_'I can't believe it's been that long already,'_ she mused as she methodically peeled an orange and stared forlornly out the cafeteria window.

It was raining, _again_ and she had been forced to eat her lunch inside at the small side table she had claimed as her own. And yes, she was alone.

In her defense, she had given the social thing the old college try at the beginning of the week by finally accepting leer-y guy (who she had eventually learned was Tyler) and indecent girl's (aka Lauren) invitation to sit with them at lunch. (Lauren's was still as unenthusiastic as it had been that very first day.)

She blamed it on being thrown off by the growing attraction to a vampire (one who she could feel staring at her every class. But instead of making her feel uneasy-like glarepire- it just made her feel... warm.) Oh yeah, and the fact that it had been raining that day.

So why was she sitting alone today and not with them?

One word. Nan.

**-oo-**

It had been awkward the minute she sat down.

She had a feeling that not a lot of exciting things happened in this town (oh, if they only knew what was sitting right across the caf) because the two boys and two girls stared at her (most uncomfortable minute of her _life_) like they expected her to start spilling her entire life story. All they got was a weak, "I'm Bella," for their efforts.

She had never been a fan of talking about herself, but at least she had at least attempted to answer their questions, even if she had been a little vague. (Since Nan had been involved in so many aspects of her life -especially those that would be deemed _interesting- _there was really only so much she could share about herself. She doubted, _'Well, I'm a Virgo and oh yeah, I also see my dead grandmother_' would go over well. )

Soon, it appeared they had grown bored with the shiny new toy (she thinks it was right around the time she admitted to two girls that she hated shopping) and quickly moved on to a new topic. Something about a CD from a band Bella had never heard of. Rap, judging by the (terrible) freestyle Tyler broke into after it was brought up, shooting her a _'you so want to date me now, don't you?'_ look when he finished. Yeah, no.

Lauren had apparently seen them in concert and had launched into an exuberant tale about how the rapper had _'totally checked her out.'_

Bella, listening with half an ear, had taken a sip of her chocolate milk just as Lauren reached an _'_exciting_'_ part and began bouncing in her seat and gesturing wildly with her hands.

Nan, who had remained silent in the background up until that point, found it necessary to loudly point out:

"Good Lord, that girl needs to put on a bra."

Long story short, it turns out snorting milk up your nose and spraying it all over the girl next to you (and not being able to hold your laughter in afterwards- not her fault the goofy vamps own boom of laughter was ridiculously infectious) was a sure-fire way to be blacklisted from a cafeteria table.

For life.

At least that's what she thinks was hidden somewhere in the mangled shrieks about stains and favorite (_"This cost's more then your entire wardrobe put together!"_) shirts.

So the next day, dismayed to realize it was raining yet again, she hadn't hesitated walking by them, head held high as she ignored the glare aimed at her and sitting at the table she now occupied. The one she found out was empty for a reason, thanks to the vent that seemed to continually blow out cool air no matter what the temperature outside was.

But meh, as strange as it sounded, popularity had never been at the forefront of her mind. It became even less desirable when she finally embraced her inner weirdness. Let her freak flag fly, if you will. And she had really never regretted her decision to hang in the background; it wasn't like she was ever really alone anyways.

**-oo-**

"It really is obvious." Nan's voice broke her out of her inner contemplation and she noted that she was staring at _their_ table again. She glanced at it herself, frowning slightly when she realized Jasper wasn't sitting with them today. Things had been... weird since that first History class. There were moments when he'd almost seem to hesitate as he walked by her desk, like he wanted to say something to her. She found herself hoping (and dreading) daily that he would, but so far, nothing.

_What is?_

"That they're vampires. They haven't raised their forks to their mouths once yet."

_So? That doesn't mean anything. It could be easily explained by something as simple as I diet. If they really were human, I imagine it would take a lot of discipline to look that good._ Her look turned thoughtful. _Hey, you think blood has calories?_

She chuckled at Nan's disgusted grimace.

_Just a question._

"Why would they waste the money and food? Don't they know there are children starving in Africa?

_I kinda doubt the thought enters their minds._

"Well I don't really understand why they go through so much effort. I've seen half a dozen students so far who haven't brought their lunch today." She pointed at a thin blonde a few tables over. "And that girl has done nothing but chew gum for the last three days. So it's obviously not something they _have _to do."

_Props,_ Bella replied as the bell rang. _For a play called 'Being Human.'_ She stood and swept the orange peelings into her empty sandwich wrapping and crumpled it up. _And us,_ she said, subtly motioning to the students gathering their belongings, _we're all the audience._

**-oo-**

Bella cursed as she knocked her book bag off the large hood of her truck, causing it to rip and spilling its contents everywhere. Just like at lunch, Jasper's seat had been empty and the sinking feeling in her gut (and the knowing grin his 'sister' shot her when she saw the dismayed look on her face) had left her distracted the rest of the day. Enough so that she hadn't paid attention to how close she had gotten to her truck when she walked around it towards the door.

"I warned you that bag was way past its expiry date, Chime," Nan tutted, instinctively bending down to help her.

_Gonna look mighty suspicious to see a text book floating into my hand, Nan._

Nan fell back with a pout. "Oh, phooey."

Bella crouched and eyed the people ignoring her as they walked by (one even making the effort to step _over_ one of the books on the ground). _You know,_ she mused thoughtfully, _you're never so sure of your status in high school as you are when you drop something and no one helps you pick it up. _

Stuffing everything back into her torn bag as well as she could, she gave it a quick double check as she stood and noticed that her battered copy of Jane Eyre (the equivalent of comfort food to her) was still missing.

"Book, book, where's my book," she mumbled to herself, scanning the ground.

"It might have went under the truck," Nan suggested.

Crouching back down, Bella shuffled over slightly and tilted. Sure enough, there it was. Back far enough that she'd have to stretch to reach it.

"Of course," she grumbled, thanking her lucky stars that the truck was jacked up high enough on its tires that she only had to kneel. She grimaced slightly when the wetness from the pavement soaked into her jeans and balanced her weight on one hand as she reached with the other.

Her finger tips graced the spine of the book. _'Almost there... almost... how the hell did it get pushed back this far?'_

"Chime, forget the book. To the left. _NOW_!"

Bella didn't even stop to consider Nan's words, not when they had the same urgency in them similar to the night her house burnt down. Snatching her hand back, she dived to the directed side, tucking and rolling like a seasoned pro.

She faintly heard squealing tires and felt a rush of air disturb her hair before it was followed by a loud, metallic crunch.

Standing up, she eyed the boy whose car was parked beside hers. He had paused sliding his keys in the door and was regarding her with something akin to awe.

"Dude, are you like a ninja or some shit?"

"Some shit," Bella agreed distractedly, turning to survey the damage. _'There goes my favorite bag for good,'_ she sighed resignedly. It had been crushed under the tire of the van that had crashed into her truck. Speaking of her truck, that damage actually wasn't that bad. She could tell the door was dented significantly, but considering the shape her truck was in, it really didn't look any worse for wear and chances were that it was still perfectly drivable.

She blandly noted the people rushing to help the moaning kid behind the wheel (Tyler she realized wide-eyed when he finally looked up, who, other than the cut on his forehead, looked fine) throwing a, "you okay?" in her direction as an afterthought. She understood, she supposed. She didn't feel like she was hurt in any way and imagined however she looked reflected that. Besides, these kids had no doubt grown up together and were more likely to look out for one of their own.

Assuring those that asked that she was okay (including the slightly hysterical teacher that had run over) Bella scanned the parking lot as the sounds of sirens grew closer. She immediately noticed the group crowded off to the side. The blonde beauty looked bored; the goof looked like he was two seconds away from clapping his hands in excitement, and the glare-y ass looked confused. But it was the short, elfin girl beside him (the only teen member she _still_ didn't know the name of... not like she had made any real effort to learn it) that was the strangest of all.

She looked pissed as hell.

**-oo-**

Jasper raised an eyebrow as Emmett bounced into the living room, excitement oozing from his pores.

"Dude, too bad you took today off to hunt, because you totally missed it!"

"Missed what?" Jasper replied, disinterested. He was sure Emmett was going to share yet another story about some kid at school getting a little too _excited_ about Rose walking by. Shared blood or not, that girl was his _sister_ and he really didn't want to hear her name and _'raging hard-on'_ in the same sentence.

"That new girl, Bella, almost got creamed by a freakin' van!"

"What?!" Jasper exclaimed, completely at attention now.

"Yeah, it was so cool. I mean, she just jumped out of the way like she was Bruce Lee reincarnated seconds before it happened. It if wasn't for her heartbeat, I'd swear she was a vampire," he exclaimed, mystified. He began bouncing in place. "Man, watching that has left me so jacked... Rosie?" He called suggestively.

"Not now, Emmett," Rose's aggravated voice traveled down the hall.

He pouted. "Fine, I'll just go take down a bear or something. I'll be back later, babe," he called, darting out the back door.

Seconds after he was gone, a troubled Rose appeared around the corner.

"What's the matter?"

"Can we go talk in your room?

"Alice and Edward?"

She shook her head. "No, they took off as soon as they got home. I just... I'd feel more comfortable discussing this in there."

As in all the houses they had had over the years, he had gotten his room double sound proofed. While it didn't completely block the sounds, it did muffle it somewhat (if they kept their voices low enough). It was just enough to offer a small semblance of privacy for whenever either of them (or occasionally Emmett as well) felt the need to discuss something they didn't want the others to overhear. Which had become more necessary since his split from Alice six years ago.

Closing the door behind him, he settled on the bed, frowning when Rose began to pace, her emotions shuffling from confusion to concern.

"What is it?"

"I know Emmett was excited about everything," she paused with a fond smile, "but it was... strange."

"Strange?" Jasper echoed. "You mean her jumping out of the way like she did?"

"No. I mean, yes, obviously that was weird." She stopped and appeared to be collecting her thoughts. "Remember that day last year when we first moved here? The day Alice claimed to have _seen_ that boy choking and saved his life?"

Obviously she meant it as a rhetorical question. They never forgot _anything_.

They had been a month into the school year and the group of them were walking to lunch when Alice did, what Emmett called, the 'vision-pause' before suddenly darting around the corner. Concerned, they had followed at a human pace, entering the cafeteria in time to see her performing the Heimlich maneuver on a boy that he and Alice shared a class with (one she usually flirted with in some sort of twisted attempt to make him jealous). She had thankfully managed to keep the pressure light enough so that she didn't crack his ribs (but it still didn't stop Rose from being pissed for taking the risk).

Jasper nodded. "The right place at the right time?" That's what Alice had been told that day by the principal, several teachers and her fawning admirer, practically preening under all the thanks and praise she had been given.

"Well, why didn't she do anything today? Can you imagine the praise she'd get for saving the new girl from an untimely end? Why would she pass up that opportunity?"

"It's not like she could have ran over and pushed her out of the way, or even literally stopped the van. It would have drawn too much attention. I seem to remember how _someone_ reacted to something similar last time," he hinted.

Rose brushed the insinuation off. "No, Jas, it wouldn't have had to come to that. She stared at the girl _the minute_ she stepped outside those doors. She must have known something was going to happen and could have easily intercepted her and given her some sort of belated 'Welcome to Forks' spiel."

"A last minute change?" He suggested.

Rose's emotions shifted to frustration. "Why are you defending her? She was mad, Jasper. Furious. She practically screamed at Emmett when he wouldn't stop talking about it the whole way home. I knew it was a bad idea to give her a ride to school today," she grumbled.

Rose was right. He hadn't the slightest idea why he was defending her. Despite being divorced for years, after 40 years of instinctively doing it, it was still occasionally a hard habit to break out of.

Besides her words made even more sense when added to the _other thing_ that had happened today.

"I didn't take today off so I could hunt," he admitted.

"What? So why did you?"

"Alice told me this morning there would be some sort of accident today and she'd seen me getting dangerously close to slipping." Though he had doubted the sincerity in her words and had faith in the control he had built over the years (thanks to Rose and Emmett's unwavering support), he didn't want to risk the _small_ chance that it was true and agreed to stay home.

"You haven't had a slip in almost fifteen years, Jas," Rose pointed out. "Something doesn't feel right about this." She inhaled deeply and he sensed her guilt. "There's something I never told you."

"What?"

"The night after Carlisle announced his intentions to move here, I heard Alice discussing it with him and Esme... she was trying to talk him out of it."

"And he didn't listen?" Carlisle _always_ listened to Alice.

"It was difficult, but I managed to convince him I overheard her talking to Edward about how _'lame'_ Forks sounded and that there were no malls in the near vicinity."

He nodded. Sadly, it _did_ sound like something Alice would say (and had said in the past).

"But I think it was already making the commitment at the hospital that really convinced him." If anything, Carlisle was a man of his word... most of the time.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I didn't understand at the time."

"Understand what?"

"I've been asking myself for two years why she was so desperate not to move here." Rose met his gaze firmly. "And now I'm convinced it has _everything_ to do with that girl."

**-oo-**

"I'm fine, Charlie," Bella insisted for the fourth time since they got home. Charlie, who had managed to find out that Bella who was involved, had been one of the responders to the scene. Despite her protests, he had insisted on escorting her home, claiming he would have a friend pick up the truck later. _If_ it was drivable.

"But your shoulder...?"

Apparently she had hit the ground harder then she thought when she'd jumped out of the way.

"It's just a bruise, I promise. I've broken my wrist before, (first and _last_ time she ever went rollerblading) so I'm pretty sure I remember the agony of a broken bone."

"I can take you to the doctor just to be-"

"No doctors," Bella stated firmly. She hated hospitals. Even after years of just seeing Nan, whenever she had entered a hospital in the past, there was always this niggling part of her that worried her 'gift' would suddenly _strengthen_ and she'd see ghosts wandering the halls. It hadn't happened yet (and Nan assured her it never would), but she was never too keen to test the theory.

He didn't look entirely convinced, but thankfully backed down.

"I think I have an ice pack in the freezer, do you want to put that on it?"

She started up the stairs. "Maybe later. I think I'll take a bath now, the heat will probably do it some good."

He stopped her halfway up. "Hey kiddo... how _did_ you jump out of the way anyways?"

She froze. "Uh... great reflexes."

"Right."

She wasn't surprised by his skepticism. Despite growing out of her clumsy phase years ago, she occasionally had her 'moments'. Only this morning she had tripped over the rug in the entryway and had taken a table and a ceramic key dish down with her. Both were completely written off.

"Bella," he called when she was halfway up the stairs. She paused, but didn't turn, standing there for several seconds before he finally spoke.

"I'm... I'm glad you're okay." His words were spoken gruffly, but the sincerity was clear.

Bella smiled softly. "Thanks... Dad."

**-oo-**

Steam filled the small bathroom as Bella unbuttoned her over shirt and shrugged it off, wincing slightly as it drug across her bruised skin.

Crossing over to the mirror, she wiped away the steam that had gathered and pulled the thick tank strap to the side. Eying her reflection, she lightly brushed her fingertips against the darkened flesh that was roughly the size of her palm.

Looking up, she caught the concerned look on Nan's face. It must have been important. The bathroom, thanks to an unfortunate event involving Nan popping in right when Bella was getting out of the shower (bruised coccyx anyone?), had led to it being declared a 'Nan-Free Zone'.

Knowing that Charlie was downstairs, she kept her voice lowered to a whisper. "What is it?"

"You're not the only one who noticed that demented fairy's face, Chime."

"That's not very nice." Bella laughed, which quickly turned into a moan when the movement jostled her shoulder.

Nan frowned. "You're not lying to Stash about your injuries are you?"

"Would I do that?" At Nan's stern glare, she sighed.

"I'm not, see?" She rotated her with only the slightest wince.

She frowned when Nan began to pace back and forth in the small room.

"A part of me worried they would eventually attack you, but I never expected this."

"This? What is exactly is _this_? She wasn't driving the van, Nan. It rained today, it was cold. Add that together you get ice. End of story."

"Mmhmm. And does that explain why she was looking at you like that?"

Bella shifted guiltily. Yeah, she had a feeling she was mad that it missed her, but she'd never say that out loud. "No," she said instead.

"There's something about that girl, Bella... and it's bad."

She must be really worried. This was the first time she called her by her actual name in years.

"I want you to promise me that you'll watch yourself around her."

Bella crossed to the tub and swirled her hand through the warm water. "Not really a problem, Nan. Other then History class, have you seen me go near any of them?"

"That might not always be the case."

In the midst of turning the tap off, Bella paused and turned to Nan with a furrowed brow. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

A troubled look on her face, Nan focused on a point over her shoulder. "I don't know."

The room fell silent when Bella cut the water off completely. When she looked back up, she could see Nan was still waiting for an answer to the promise she had asked her to make.

"All right, Nan. I promise."

Nan nodded solemnly. "I'll let you take your bath." She said, disappearing through the closed door.

Bella stiffly began removing the rest of her clothes, mulling over one of Nan's last sentences.

_'I don't know.'_

For the first time ever, Bella doubted the truth in her words. Did she really not know, or was this another of those 'deliberately vague' moments again? She decided she trusted her enough to know that if it was really bad, she _would_ tell her.

_'But did sorta bad fall into that category?'_ She wondered as she slipped into the hot water and closed her eyes. '_I may have dodged a van today, but I might not be so lucky next time.'_ It was a good thing that she didn't mind Nan's company because she had a feeling bodyguard duties had just been doubled.

She chuckled wryly. Renee had told her once that she hadn't just divorced Charlie, but this town and it's boring monotony as well. If she had only experienced half of what Bella had since she got here...

She'd be begging for boring._  
_

* * *

**_A/N2: To all the readers who gave (and continue to give) this story (and this author) a chance, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Have a safe and happy holiday!_**


	6. Knight in Shining Pick Up Truck

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: I just want to let you know, that I've realized I'm probably misleading a lot of people with my story title. I use 'Dead People' which probably gives the indication that Bella will be seeing more 'ghosts', but honestly it just applied to her Nan and the Cullen's (who are technically dead are they not?) Notice that I keep using the word 'gift' loosely? I really have been considering Nan to be more of a guardian angel, so , I edited Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 slightly (merely including an extra line) _************_to reflect that_************_. It's not really necessary to re-read it if you don't want to. Please let me know if you think a title change would be in order too.  
_**

**********_I apologize for anyone hoping for more, but is was just never in the cards for this story. But I DO fully support any author reading this that wants to use this particular idea and do more with it. _  
**

* * *

Ten minutes in the store and Bella had already decided the hour drive was worth it.

For a bibliophile such as herself, it had been torture to rely on the paltry offering the Forks High Library had to offer (seriously, was it really necessary to have five copies each of that ridiculous 'Starlight' series? Whiny, insecure girl falls in love with controlling d-bag vampire? What's so entertaining about that?) and the small public library on Main Street had been even worse.

Sure, it would have been considered heaven to anyone who considered Harlequins and Nature guides to be the best the written word had to offer, but to Bella, who had almost gagged as she held 'Lusty Pirate Wenches' (no, that wasn't the _exact_ name of the book, but it might as well have been) in her hands, she was certain she was staring into the gates of hell.

After only her third day here (despite all the excitement of those first few days, she had managed to fit _'going to the library'_ into her schedule, it was right ahead of '_panic about vampires at my school'_), she had perused the phone book hoping for a listing to a bookstore, or better yet, a _used_ bookstore and had come up empty. She had lasted almost two weeks (which had been hell for someone who used to visit the library every other day in her old city) before she finally brought the subject up to Charlie at the dinner table during something she had affectionately dubbed, '_awkward family share time',_ two days before the 'van incident'. He had claimed there was one in Port Angeles, a place he conveniently had to drive up to on Saturday afternoon. He had offered her a chance to tag along, and eager to check it out and not knowing the area well enough to make the trip on her own, she had agreed.

What happened Thursday had _almost_ thrown a wrench into her plans.

For a minute or two he had been stubbornly reluctant, wanting to give her time to recover from the accident (he had already made her take Friday off even though she kept insisting she was fine) but as promised, that Saturday, Charlie had dropped her off in front of the bookstore, telling her that he'd be about an hour and a half and to call him if there were any problems. Nodding her agreement and assuring him that she had her cell phone with her and it was fully charged, Charlie had finally been satisfied enough to let her out of the car.

Offering a little wave as he pulled away from the curb, she had turned to the store front and glanced up at the sign.

**BOOK IS THE WORD**

Her eye began twitching when Nan starting humming in the background.

"Ah well-a-"

_Don't even,_ Bella warned.

Nan chuckled. "Do you remember..."

_When you played that song thirty times in a row to get the teens next door to break up their loud party? I heard that song in my nightmares for weeks afterwards._

"Worked didn't it? They never threw another party at their house again. I'm fairly sure they were to embarrassed to."

_Yeah, and you traumatized your nine year old granddaughter in the process._

"To win the war, sacrifices had to be made," Nan replied solemnly.

_Yeah? Does that also apply to your mailbox which was 'suspiciously' destroyed later that week?_

Nan shrugged. "I needed a new one anyways."_  
_

_And when their parents blacklisted you from their yearly garden party?_

"Never liked them."

_And the.._

"Worth. It." Nan stated firmly.

Any lingering irritation over the incident (though it was miniscule to begin with- it was almost impossible to get mad at Nan and even harder to _stay_ that way) disappeared as she swung open the door and the musty scent of books tickled her nose.

"Heaven." Bella sighed with a blissful smile. The woman behind the counter shot her a knowing look and nodded in agreement before rattling off a friendly, "let me know if you need help with anything," and returning her gaze back to the book in her hand.

Feeling the same giddy anticipation that she always did in a used book store (even more so with this one. From her position, it looked like it stretched back forever and, according to the signs, there was an upstairs too!) Bella perused the conveniently placed map to left of the entrance and, with a wide smile, immediately headed towards the section deemed 'Classics'.

**-oo-**

Nan snorted as Bella pulled a book from the shelf.

"Really, Chime? Dracula?"

_What? Now that I'm in school with a bunch of vampires, it'd probably make sense to brush up on my vamp mythology._

"Hasn't it already been established that these don't appear to be your normal vampires?"

_Normal vampires? Isn't that an oxymoron?_

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't exactly call that a 'how to guide'."

Bella made an over-exaggerated effort of scanning the shelves._ Hey, maybe they have a 'Vampire's For Dummies' around here somewhere._

"Now you're just being silly."

Bella turned and stuck out her tongue, eyes widening at the husky chuckle from the other end of the aisle.

_Damn you Nan,_ she cursed.

Other than that shimmery glow to her skin, Nan appeared to completely solid to her and forgetting this had bit her in the ass more than a few times. All she had to do was remember the look on the face of her old high school librarian, the day when, in the middle of a heated argument with Nan (silent on her end of course) Bella had given into the childish urge to flip her off.

Nan had laughed herself stupid at it, but the other woman hadn't found it quite as funny. With a look akin to one who had just sucked on a lemon, she sternly asked Bella not to come back after that.

_It's Mrs. Perkin's all over again_, Bella groaned.

Chuckling, Nan took pity on her and moved away.

She wishes she'd stayed.

Behind her, lips quirked adorably, was the guy she had spent the better part of almost two weeks thinking (***cough*** _obsessing_ ***cough***) about.

Jasper Hale.

**-oo-**

She'll admit it. For a second, she panicked.

Backed into a cramped, semi-dark corner with a _vampire_ blocking her only exit? This time there was no comforting throng of students and teachers. Other than the woman at the front (a graying soccer mom type who didn't look like she could swat a fly, let alone defend herself against a vampire) she was completely alone.

Nan lightly touching her shoulder eased her somewhat. She could feel the slight trembling static beneath her fingertips, indicating she was one wrong move from breaking out the 'poltergeist'.

Bella knew Nan wasn't powerful enough to do any significant sort of damage. She could really only move things, not tear a room completely apart and other then Bella, she was unable to physically touch someone (she knew this for a fact thanks to an unsuccessful attempt at trying it with Renee. Not for any particular purpose, more to just see if she could.) But she was hoping the element of surprise (the '_holy hell objects are moving on their own' _kind) would at least give her a moment to slip around him.

Instead of attacking her, something she doubted he'd do in a public place anyways, he looked strangely... hurt. She could even feel Nan easing up the pressure on her shoulder and was compelled to say something.

"Um... hiya?" '_Hiya? Palm meet face.'_

"Hiya yourself." He smirked good-naturedly.

Looking up at the shelf in front of her, Bella asked, "Am I in your way? Were you looking for something in this aisle?"

Jasper shook his head. "Nah, just thought I heard someone over here. Had to see who else besides me came to a bookstore on a Saturday night."

"Any _real_ reader who's seen what Forks has to offer?" Bella replied sarcastically.

"Bodice rippers and teen romances not quite up to par?"

Bella shuddered. "God no. I'd sooner poke my eyes out then read one of those."

"What _do_ you read, then?" He asked, eying the book in her hand. Bella was embarrassed to realize she was still holding the copy of Dracula.

"Uh, fan of the classics," she explained, holding it up like she was presenting evidence at a trial. "I read it once when I was younger and wanted to see if it got any better. I found it to be kinda dry to be honest, but hey, I _was_ a kid. Apparently a weird one, I mean what kind of kid reads a Gothic horror novel? I should have been reading Harry Potter or something... okay so I did read those, but only to see if it lived up to the hype. And it did, I guess... wasn't really my thing... Uh, have you read it? Dracula I mean?"

Was she babbling?

"You're babbling," Nan confirmed.

Jasper didn't call her out on it by teasing her, looking decidedly uneasy instead.

"No, can't say I have." He held up his own books. "I'm more of a history buff."

"I know. I think Mr. Hill still hates you for correcting him in class the other day. I didn't know it was possible for someone to glare that hard without their eyeballs popping out."

Jasper grinned. "Hasn't been the first time." No. It hasn't. She's pretty sure that he's corrected him at least once a day since they started the 'Civil War' unit. Though he looked like he was a teen (yes, an almost impossibly attractive teen, but a teen none the less), something told her Jasper had been a _lot_ closer to the action then any historian had been.

She tilted her head thoughtfully._ 'I wonder how old he actually is.' _Though he held himself a little straighter then most of the teens today, there was really nothing about his dress or mannerisms that gave any clue to what year he was actually born. As she studied him though, she realized he looked a little older then what could be classified as 'high school age'. It wasn't obvious though, you'd probably have to be really staring to notice. She groaned silently.

_'Which is exactly what I'm doing.'_

Her eyes quickly dropped to the floor and a uncomfortable silence stretched out between them before Jasper finally broke it by looking over his shoulder. "I should probably go. I promised my sister I'd pick her up a few things before the stores close. She'd kill me if I forgot."

To busy contemplating on the best place to find a deep, dark hole to curl up in and die from embarrassment (and not quite sure if she wanted him to stay anyways), Bella nodded.

"I'll... I'll see you at school, Bella." He flashed her one last heart-melting grin and left. Five minutes later, she heard a cash register ringing off and the pleasant jingle of the door opening.

He knew her name.

Why did that make her so giddy?

**-oo-**

Ten minutes had passed since he'd left and she was still in the same aisle, replaying the meeting in her head.

_I'm confused, Nan_, she finally admitted.

"About what?"

_I know he wasn't close to me, but it didn't, I mean **he** didn't, feel...wrong. Do you think that maybe it doesn't work on them? Or maybe they have some sort of supernatural ability to dazzle you into a false sense of security?_

Nan was clearly amused when she answered. "Did he dazzle you, Chime?"

She blushed. _I...he...don't...Shut up._

Nan tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don't think that's it. The other one, what was his name?"

_You mean glare-y guy from Bio? Edward, I think._

"You felt that something wasn't right about him, remember?"

_Yes, but-_

"Miss?" A new voice interrupted.

Bella looked up to see the woman who had been behind the counter.

"I just thought I'd let you know that we're closing in about five minutes, so if you'd like me to ring those up for you?" She gestured to the small pile of books beside Bella.

"Yeah...sure. I have everything I wanted." She slid the copy of Dracula back into its place on the shelf and gathered the books she wanted to buy in her arms, shaking her head in the negative when the woman made a 'you need help?' motion.

Two minutes later, Bella heard the click of the lock at her back as she stood on the sidewalk with her bag of (new to her) books.

Returning the woman's friendly wave through the glass, Bella dug out her phone.

_'Is it really that late already?'_ She thought, looking at the screen. _'Why hasn't Charlie called me yet?' _According to the time, it had been almost two hours since he'd dropped her off.

Scrolling through her contacts, she clicked his name and held the ringing phone up to her ear.

Instead of a hello, Charlie answered with a curse. "Damn, Bella, I forgot to call you. I'm gonna be here for another half-hour at least."

Remembering the diner they had passed a few blocks over, she said, "I'll just grab something at the diner and meet you there."

"Dinah's?"

"If that's the name of it."

"The one that looks like a fifties diner?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Alright, I'll meet you there at eight-thirty."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Be careful," he added before hanging up.

"Not a problem," she mumbled as she pressed the end call button.

It never was when Nan was near.

**-oo-**

Her stomach grumbled as she walked, visions of cheeseburgers and fries dancing through her head. She looked up as she passed a large vacant lot sandwiched between two storefronts, seeing the glowing lights of the diner in the distance directly across from it. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she turned and left the sidewalk.

"What are you doing?"

_The diner's right there_, she said, nodding her head towards it. _This will cut probably ten minutes off my walk._

"I remember saying something similar, Chime," Nan replied gravely.

Bella stopped. _It's not the same, Nan. Look around. Its wide open and completely lit up. Cars are passing by every second. _A car whizzed by moments later, proving her point. She hesitated slightly. _Are you getting the sense that something bad will happen?_

Nan shook her head. "No," she admitted reluctantly.

_Then I'll be fine._

As she neared closer to the other end of the lot, she was about to turn to Nan and say, _'see?'_ when three men in their late twenties stumbled around the corner.

Their conversation was the boisterous, loud kind that signified _drunk _and Bella recalled that, not only had they passed a diner on the way to the bookstore, but a bar as well. Rusty Red's if she wasn't mistaken.

Keeping her head down, she kept her fingers crossed that they'd pass her by. After all, Nan said nothing would happen.

_'Didn't she?'_

"Well, well. What do we have here boys?" The largest (and obvious ringleader) of the three slurred.

Doing her best to ignore him, Bella tightened her fingers around her bag and continued walking. Her heart clenched when she only managed to get a few more steps before she heard gravel being disturbed and her progress was halted when the same man who had spoken earlier was suddenly in front of her.

"Ahh... ahh. ahh.." Rancid breath blew in her face. "Where do you think you're going, sweet thing?"

"I'm going to the diner," she mumbled, attempting to skirt around him.

"I got something you can eat right here, honey," he replied with a leer, roughly grabbing at the arm that held her bag. She groaned as the movement jerked her bruised shoulder and caused her to drop her purchases in the process. His two approaching friends crowded around her, one kicking the bag aside and scattering her books on the ground.

Though she knew it was probably a bad idea, with the hand that wasn't in the man's grasp, she subtlety reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her cell phone. Unfortunately she had put to much faith in the insulation of her jacket, cringing when she could clearly hear the muffled noise it made every time she pressed a button.

"I think girlies got a phone, Teddy," henchman number two directed towards the man holding her arm as he jerked the hand that was curled around the phone out of her pocket. He pried it from her fingers and tossed it over his shoulder.

The man called Teddy roughly swung her around and the three closed in, making her back up she was plastered up against a wall. She pressed into it as hard as she could, wishing she could just fade into the brickwork.

Tears prickled her eyes. She could see the diner just across the road, close enough that someone would surely hear her scream, but she was afraid of what they would do if she tried.

She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to ignore the suggestions for _'what they were going to do to her'_, and the smell of one of the mens beer-stale breath whisping across her face as he leaned closer to her and ran a finger up and down the front of her jacket.

_I'm sorry for not listening to you, Nan,_ she whimpered.

"Cover your head, sweetheart," Nan entreated. "There's chunks of brick here. I'm going throw it at them and you can be damned sure I'm aiming for their heads."

_You could hurt them bad, Nan._ She had no idea why she was even defending them, obviously the fear was messing with her head.

"No worse then they'll do to you, Chime. Now-"

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a beeping horn and squealing tires.

Bella's eyes flew open, landing on the dark blue truck that was stopped inches from where the men were gathered around her.

"What the..." one of the men got out before all three dropped to the ground, one yelling hoarsely, one moaning, and one unconscious.

Now it was Bella's turn. _'What the...'_ the passenger side door popped open and a familiar voice hollered, "Get in!"

Bella didn't hesitate.

Leaping over the squirming man on the ground, kicking at his hands when he grabbed for her, she slid into the seat and slammed the door behind her.

Turning wide-eyed to the handsome blond teen behind the wheel, Bella blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. "Right place at the right time, huh?"

* * *

**_A/N2: See my cheeky shout-out to the Twilight books? While I'll always be thankful that it gave me Jasper... I'm, uh, not really the biggest fan.  
_**

**_For those of you not aware, the song Bella is referring to (and the line I loosely based the name of the bookstore on) is called Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen. If you've never heard it, count your blessings. And don't even attempt looking for it on YouTube, because the song will be stuck in your head for The. Rest. Of. Your. Life. And for those of you who DO know it and were able to stricken it from your mind until this exact moment... you're welcome. _**


	7. And Then He Knew (Took You Long Enough)

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N: I really meant to have this posted on New Year's Eve, but a reviewer over on my other story introduced me to the awesomeness that is Horrible Histories and I've spent the last three days watching that instead of editing this chapter like I should have been...  
**_

_**********Oh well, happy belated New Year's! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews (and to those who took the time to answer my question in the last chapter, I really appreciate it. I feel a lot more confident about the direction I took my story in) favorites and follows! They really helped me end my year on a high note! :D  
**_

* * *

_Turning wide-eyed to the handsome blond teen behind the wheel, Bella asked the first thing that popped into her head. "Right place at the right time?"_

The truck pealed out of the lot, heading in the direction of Forks.

"Something like that," Jasper replied grimly, before turning concerned honey eyes towards her. "Are you alright, Bella?"

"I'm... I'm fine," she croaked, blinking rapidly in an effort to keep the tears at bay. It didn't work.

She felt the truck slow and heard the crunch of gravel as it was maneuvered off the road.

Hesitant hands curled around her back and pulled her towards him. She was immediately engulfed in the comforting scent of dark chocolate and cinnamon. _'Just like the hot chocolate Nan would make during Christmas,'_ she thought absently.

"It's alright, Darlin'," he hushed softly. "You're alright."

"Thank you," she sobbed, burying her head in his cool neck and jerking involuntarily at the peculiar jolt that ran through her body.

She had a feeling he felt it and mistook it for a negative reaction, probably to the temperature difference (which she barely noticed), because he tensed slightly before pulling back entirely.

Feeling the desire to put him at ease, but unsure of what to say to explain her reaction (not when she didn't understand it herself), she settled on lamely offering, "My shoulder."

The tenseness left his frame as he nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry. I heard about that... are you alright?" He asked for a second time.

Frustration and shame battled heavily within her as she brushed away the tears that were slowly beginning to taper.

"Yep, I really do have the worst luck. First that van, now this. I was told not to go through that vacant lot, but did I listen? Of course not," she laughed bitterly.

"Told? By who?"

Realizing she'd just said that out loud, Bella quickly backtracked. "By myself. I told _myself_ that it was a bad idea."

He nodded again, but Bella could see the skepticism in the movement, so she did what she usually did when caught referring to Nan, she diverted.

"Not only was I attacked, but I lost my damn books as well and my..." she trailed off. "My phone! Charlie! Do you have a phone?" She begged.

He nodded again, reaching over into the dash and withdrawing one. When he handed it to her, she didn't even react to the slight shock when their fingers briefly touched, flashing him a grateful smile instead.

"Charlie!" Bella exclaimed into the phone as soon as his gruff 'hello?' was finished.

"Bella! I've tried calling you twice. Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?"

"It died on me," she lied calmly.

"I thought you said it was fully charged?"

"I really thought it was. I guess I was wrong."

"Well where are you? I'm on my way to the diner right now."

"That's the thing, I met a friend from school and he offered me a ride home." She winced when she realized what she just said.

"_He_? Who exactly is he?" Bella could practically hear his jaw ticking over the phone.

"Just a friend."

"Bella..."

"Oh for... it's just one of the Cullen's kids, Charlie!" It was like they were a rock band or something. Though she knew for sure that three of them had different last names, whenever she overheard people whispering about them in the halls or in class (even in town once or twice), _all_ of them were referred to as simply 'The Cullen's'.

She had to hold the phone away from her ear when her father bellowed, "It better not be that creepy Edward kid!" '_Interesting.'_ She wondered how Charlie knew him.

Jasper snickered in the background.

"It's not, I promise. We're already on our way back, so I'll see you when you get home."

Charlie sighed resignedly. "Fine. Do you have your key?"

It was the only other thing besides her wallet that those assholes hadn't managed to take from her.

"Yes, Charlie."

"Hey, are you feeling alright, kiddo?"

_'Not going to cry. Not going to cry.'_

"I'm fine, Charlie. Bye."

She disconnected the call and handed it back to Jasper. She took a few deep breaths attempting to center herself.

"Umm... sorry you heard that comment about your brother."

"Don't be, it's true." He grinned and despite the all-around horribleness of her night, Bella found herself grinning back.

Jasper shifted into gear and pulled back out onto the road. The cab was silent for a few long moments and Bella found herself scanning the small space, even going so far to peek over her shoulder at the truck bed.

"You looking for something?" His voice was amused.

"Bags."

"Bags?" He repeated slowly. "Why?"

"You said you had to pick up a few things for your sister. Where are they?"

So, that's what people meant by a 'deer in headlights' look.

"Uh..." He sighed. "Okay, you caught me. I sorta-" he removed one hand from the wheel and rubbed at his neck "-lied."

Bella was hurt. First she was attacked and now a guy she was just admitting to herself she had a slight (okay_, major_) crush on was telling her he was so desperate to get out of a conversation with her that he made something up. Could this night _get_ any better?

"Not that, Darlin'," he hastily supplied. Guess she hadn't hid the hurt as well as she thought she did. "I was just, nervous."

Bella's lips quirked. "Nervous?"

He nodded. "Felt like I was gonna make a fool of myself any minute."

"I guess I can give you that. It did feel like one of us was two steps away from asking about the weather."

Jasper laughed. "Or, how 'bout them Yankees?"

"Well, you would have been out of luck there. I don't exactly follow sports."

"That's okay, neither do I."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Really? Isn't that against the guy code?"

Jasper shrugged. "I'm not a regular guy."

Bella blinked. Understatement of the year. How the hell do you react to that without giving yourself away? If she hadn't noticed the very subtle wince after he said it, she'd be certain he was playing with her.

She decided to go with coy. "Something tells me you really aren't."

**-oo-**

The conversation was easy between them the rest of the way home. Relaxed.

Bella could feel the weight of the nights events rolling off her shoulders with each smile he incited. She had to tell herself several times that it was foolish to start falling in love with a practical stranger. A _vampire_ stranger. She didn't think she listened very well though.

As the truck idled in her driveway, she paused; fingers curled in the handle and turned to him with a shy smile. "Thank you, really. I'm not sure how you were there exactly," she inhaled deeply and popped open the door, "but I really don't care. Just... thank you."

As she slid out of the truck and gently closed the door behind her, she wondered if he had heard the double meaning in her words. The ones that said, _'you're a vampire and I don't care.'_

**-oo-**

Closing the door, Bella leaned her head up against the cool wood, listening as the truck rumbled out of the driveway. She kept silent and still until the sound of it completely faded, before addressing the person behind her.

"Why didn't you come with me?"

"You were in good hands."

"I was in _vampire_ hands," she countered, turning to Nan with a tired smile.

"Could you honestly say you were afraid of him?"

"No. I was more scared of them..."

"I'm so sorry, Chime."

"Why do you think you didn't get a sense of things this time?" Her tone wasn't accusing, just curious.

"I can't say for certain, but I think that boy had something to do with it."

"Him? How?"

A knowing spark was in Nan's eyes when she answered. "I think, this time, it needed to be _his_ turn to save you."

Bella didn't know what to make of that.

**-oo-**

Pulling out of the driveway, Jasper hit speed dial and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hey, Jas."

"Are you alone?"

"Me, Emmett and Esme are here. Carlisle picked up a late shift and Edward and Alice ran upstate to hunt. Why?"

"I want you and Em to meet me at our spot. I'll tell you why when I get there."

Jasper disconnected and tossed the phone in the seat beside him.

By using his gift on the three that had attacked her tonight, he had risked exposure. But he couldn't really find it in himself to care. Even less now that he knew for certain what she was.

His mate.

He had suspected it for days, but having never experienced the mating bond before (not when it only happened once in a lifetime) he had been hesitant to label it as such. He had a feeling Rose knew it first. It would certainly explain all the sly looks she kept shooting him during History class, when he'd pay more attention to the back of Bella's head then he would to the teacher.

But now, after hugging her, touching her, literally feeling it snapping it into place he knew without a doubt.

_Mate._

It filled him with both elation and fury. Not just over what she had suffered tonight, but the lengths Alice seemed to be going just to keep them apart.

The van that day hadn't been the only time. No, she had tried to keep him from going to Port Angeles tonight too.

**-oo-**

Jasper had been immediately suspicious, 'deciding' to go see that new war drama (that he genuinely had been interested in seeing) that was playing in the small, dingy Forks movie theater instead. He had learned a long time ago how to work around Alice's visions and it would usually placate her enough to back off.

He had even went one step further to back up his decision (and distract her from looking further into his future), by launching into a lengthy description of the movie, and when her eyes had glazed over, not in a vision but with boredom, he had casually asked her to come with him. She was all too eager to let him go out alone after that, suddenly remembering 'plans' she had made with Edward. He had to give it to her; she was almost as convincing at lying as he was.

He was aware that it was impossible to trick her forever, but by the time he swung off of Main Street onto the road that took him to Port Angeles; it was already too late for her to do anything about it anyways.

Once he drove into the area deemed 'downtown', he had pulled into an empty parking lot across the street from the bookstore he had originally intended to visit and sat there for the better part of an hour. He may have defied Alice, but he honestly had no idea why she had attempted to keep him from coming here in the first place. She hadn't exactly been forthcoming with information, simply bursting into the home library as he'd stared up at the walls of books he had read a dozen times over, contemplating on going to his favorite bookstore to get new ones, yelling, "Don't!", at the top of her lungs.

She had changed it to a more demure, "I mean, I _don't_ think it's such a good idea, Jazz," at the look that he couldn't stop from twisting his face at her outburst.

It never failed to frustrate him that, even after fifty plus years, he seemed to be the only gifted one in the family that at least _tried_ not to use said gift on other people, especially those that _explicitly_ asked them not to. Either Alice and Edward just weren't getting the message, or they simply didn't care. He had a feeling the second one was a lot closer to the truth.

Though Alice believed she was just as capable of manipulating his own gift as he, on _occasion_, did hers (he likened her attempts to the way a human believed they could trick a lie detector by stepping on a tack placed in their shoe) she didn't seem to realize that changing your mind was easy, controlling your emotions though? Not so much. So while she tried her best to focus on the (honest) panic and worry that she felt, he could still sense the underlying deceit she was trying to hide.

Sadly, it had been something he used to ignore in the past, simply resigning himself to the 'future' that Alice had deemed fit for him, but he _wouldn't_ ignore it this time, not when her emotions were so similar to the ones earlier that week, to the day that _she _had almost gotten hurt.

Sitting in the parking lot Jasper wondered briefly if he had made the wrong decision, if Alice had used Port Angeles as misdirection and that something was going to go down in Forks instead. He reluctantly brushed the thought aside, still finding it hard to believe that Alice was capable of being that malicious.

Looking up, he scanned the storefront with a critical eye, trying to determine if anything seemed out of place. Seeing nothing, but firmly convinced that the store had something to do with her visions, he slid from the truck, locked the doors and casually made his way across the street.

When he caught a familiar scent entering the store ten minutes later, he knew. Maybe not the why or the what, but definitely the _who_.

Bella Swan.

Suddenly nervous, he had gathered up every ounce of courage he possessed and followed the amazing scent to its owner.

The first few seconds of standing behind her had been strange.

Most of the time, people's emotions were like snowflakes to him (though the emotions were the same, the way each person _felt_ them was different)... snowflakes that started to multiply until they basically became raging snowstorms. It was only those who thought they were alone that offered him some semblance of a respite from his gift, because, not only were the emotions easier to single out and identify, but they would steady out and become almost muted, like a computer on sleep mode. It was usually only around other people that they roared back to life.

Bella was alone, not doing anything in particular that would shift her emotions (she wasn't even looking at the shelves or the book she held in her hand) but they flickered in ways similar to someone having a conversation. With someone other than themselves (those ones were usually accompanied by either anger or self-loathing). When she finally turned, he had been amused when she stuck out her tongue and slightly confused as well, because, even though she was looking in his direction, it seemed like she wasn't actually looking _at_ him.

His confusion melted away as a smirk quirked his lips at her adorableness and he proceeded to have the best and, quite possibly, the most embarrassingly awkward five minutes of his life. He blamed the conversation about that damn Dracula book for throwing him off.

He had sat out in his truck afterwards seriously considering bashing his head against the steering wheel a few times, asking himself why he lied to her about picking things up for Rosalie, who had come in at the tail-end of the Port Angeles conversation with Alice and was unaware that he still intended to come here despite what he had told Alice. He had been tempted to stick around for a few minutes afterwards to watch for Bella, but felt it was a little too borderline stalkerish.

As he drove away he pondered again why Alice had been so adamant to keep him away tonight. Would she really go through all this trouble to stop something as simple as a single conversation?

Jasper hit the brakes and thanked his lucky stars that no one was behind him.

_'No. No she wouldn't.'_

Something inside told him he would regret it if he ignored the instincts that had been finely tuned in the Wars. The ones that were currently telling him to go back.

He listened.

**-oo-**

_'I shoulda known better than trying to ignore them in the first place,'_ Jasper thought as he turned onto the road that led to the house. He didn't want to even consider what would have happened to Bella if he hadn't turned around.

Halfway up the drive, he pulled his truck off into a little alcove. He didn't want to take the chance that Alice or Edward had come home and would hear him coming.

Sliding out of the cab, he slammed the door behind him and took off through the woods. Jumping over a small stream, he headed towards the small, practically hidden (thanks to the trees that enclosed it) meadow located almost on the other side of Forks. It was his, Rose and Emmett's spot and they would escape there when things got tense at the house, usually because of Alice or Edward's meddling.

There was even a little ramshackle cabin (that had been abandoned years ago) tucked up against a cliff edge a few meters away from it that he had gotten Emmett to fix up enough to be considered relatively passable. Not necessarily somewhere you could live, it was only one room and a little too small for that, but definitely somewhere you could hole yourself up for a day or two.

He had asked Emmett specifically to do it because Alice didn't monitor his business as much and Edward _hated_ listening to his thoughts. They had realized a long time ago that, if they wanted certain _tasks_ to remain secret, it usually helped if they got Emmett to do whatever it was instead.

Rose stood from her position perched on a large rock when Jasper broke through the brush. Emmett was leaned casually against a tree.

"What's the word, Jay?" He asked, before pausing to sniff the air. "Why you sly dog... I recognize that scent. Why didn't you tell us you had a date?"

Jasper wasn't in the mood to joke tonight. "I didn't. Bella was attacked an hour ago."

"Attacked?" Rose's voice wobbled as her face crumbled. Emmett pushed off the tree to go to her side and wrap a comforting arm around her waist. "Is she...?"

"She's fine," Jasper assured her. "Shaken up, yeah, but I got there before they could do anything to her."

"They weren't...?" Emmett pointed at himself.

Jasper shook his head. "No, they were human."

"Where was this, anyways?"

"Port Angeles."

Rose's emotions immediately shifted to fury. "You mean the same place Alice warned you not to go tonight?"

"You're not betting against Alice again... are you, Jay?" Emmett tutted.

"Shut up!" Rose snapped before turning blazing eyes back to Jasper. "Damn it, Jasper, this is too many coincidences. You and I both know she plays it fast and loose with her visions, but what the hell is she hoping to achieve this time?"

"You already know why she's doing this, Rose."

The anger drained out of her to be replaced with sympathy. "She's trying to keep you away from your mate," she replied softly.

Emmett's eyes widened. "No shit... that girl is your mate?"

Jasper nodded.

"Congratulations," he offered eagerly. The grin slipped off of his face. "Oh. Damn. That's why Alice has been acting so sketchy lately and clingier than usual, isn't it?"

"That's putting it mildly," Jasper muttered.

Emmett shifted uncomfortably. "I get what you guys are saying, but you can't be sure she's doing this because of interior motives."

"Ulterior, Em." Rose corrected with a quirk of her lips.

"_Whatever_. All I'm saying is this could be just her jealous."

Emmett was always so willing to see the good in everyone, giving them all the benefit of the doubt. Jasper liked this about him, most days, but now it was only serving to frustrate him. Rose too, apparently.

"Oh, so she let a girl almost die and then followed that up with a potential rape because she was _jealous_?"

Emmett was uneasy now. "That's not what I'm saying. Besides, you saw the angle that van hit her truck. It was only enough to dent it slightly, it wouldn't have necessarily killed her."

Jasper was growling now. "So simply _injuring_ my mate would have been better?"

"What!? No!" He turned to Rose pleadingly. "Damn it, babe, you promised last time you'd shut me up _before_ I put my foot in my mouth."

"Well excuse me, but I'm a little distracted by the desire to kick your ass right now."

Emmett huffed. "Fine. What I'm _trying_ to say is, we don't know what-" seeing Rose's pointed glare, he corrected himself, "-okay, so maybe we _do_ know what she's doing. But why is she being so extreme about it? You guys have been divorced for _six years_, Jay and it's been even longer since you've _really_ been together. At least a decade or two." He became defensive at Jasper's surprised look. "Hey, I notice things." He shifted his gaze between Rose and Jasper. "I mean, sure, she's a little selfish sometimes, but she's never actually _hurt_ anyone before. We just... we don't have all the facts," he finished with a mumble.

Jasper's shoulders slumped. Emmett actually had a point. Was this nothing more than panicked jealousy? With so many potential outcomes, he had no idea if Alice actually saw Bella getting badly hurt from anything that had happened so far. This could be nothing more than a stubborn attempt to slow down what she probably knew was inevitable anyways.

He'd seen Alice when she hadn't gotten her way in the past. She would never scream, lash out at someone or destroy anything. Instead she'd pout, whine, cajole... so why would she go from that to, well, murder?

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair. "So where does this leave us? I'm not a psychic, but I don't see confronting her and expecting her to tell us the truth working out too well."

"Carlisle?" Emmett suggested mildly.

"You already know how that would go as well."

What Emmett had cheekily said earlier, about not betting on Alice, was considered the gospel truth in Carlisle's eyes. Not only had her visions gotten them out of a few sticky situations in the past, but had also made him (and admittedly the rest of them) millionaires _many_ times over. And now, she could do no wrong. There was always a _'reasonable explanation'_ for every choice she made, with no question as why they always seemed to be in her favor. That's why Jasper found it so hard to believe that he had still moved to Forks. He had to give Rose credit; she must have been _damn_ convincing that night.

"Hey, maybe we could get Edward to listen and..." Emmett frowned. "Okay, even I realize how terrible that idea is."

Edward and Alice were bosom buddies. There was no way he'd even consider narcing on her.

"Friends," Rose suggested.

"How's a lame TV show supposed to help us?"

Rose and Jasper turned to Emmett with an incredulous stare. "Noo..." Rose spoke slowly. "I'm saying we become friends with her."

Emmett went from confused to shocked. "Is my Rosie actually suggesting we become friends with a _human_?" He sniffled and pantomimed wiping away a tear. "I'm so proud."

Jasper had to admit he was surprised as well. Even if Rose was one of the best (and secretly big-hearted) people he knew, she could still be a bit of a bitch. Especially to humans.

She must have sensed it, because she shrugged self-consciously. "What? I realize it sounds strange coming from me, but it's like I feel this... urge to protect her or something. I can't really explain it."

Emmett nodded knowingly. "I feel it too."

Jasper's brows rose. Was it possible? Did this regular human girl not only have a mating bond with one vampire, but sparked a familial bond with two more?

Not only were familial bonds rare, but they had _only_ ever existed between vampires. Carlisle and Esme steadfastly believed that one existed between them and their brood, but they were only half right. While Jasper couldn't speak for Alice and Edward, he knew that, while there was one between him, Rose and Emmett, it definitely _did not_ extend to the others.

So why did they stay with them?

Comfort, familiarity.

Change was a difficult concept for creatures that were essentially frozen in time. And though he knew she'd never admit to it, Jasper believed Rose stayed out of some sort of obligation she felt towards Carlisle, her maker (a complicated and often times messy bond in itself) and where Rose goes (or doesn't go) so goes Emmett. And him, to some extent. Despite how stifled he felt by the others (excluding Rose and Emmett, of course. They always knew when to give him space) at times, after fifty-five years, this life with the Cullen's was the only one he knew (or at least the one he wasn't trying to forget.)

But maybe this was why he had found his mate. Why Rose and Emmett felt a bond towards her. Maybe this was going to be the thing that would finally bring about change. Something that would allow them to break free from ties that had slowly become chains over the years. To forge out on their own and not have to worry about their thoughts being monitored or their every move being watched. To not have to spend decades in school just to keep up appearances.

To just... be free.

"Monday," Jasper decided with a nod. Nothing more needed to be said. Whether she liked it or not, Bella Swan's life was about to change.

Emmett bounced and began excitedly jabbering to Rose.

Cocking his head, Jasper eyed the exuberant bear of a man with a smirk. _'I almost feel sorry for that girl.'_

"Oh this is gonna be so awesome. We're gonna be total BFF's!"

_'Strike that. I _**_definitely_**_ feel sorry for her.'_

* * *

_**A/N2: So I was really nervous about giving my own interpretations of Alice and Jasper's gift (I'll touch back again on Alice's in the future) in this chapter... how'd I do?**  
_


	8. Biffles

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**_A/N: This is late, ridiculously so, and for that I cannot apologize enough. I just lost my way for a while there, a dark cloud over my head that sapped away any and all interest in _****_everything_****_. And when I picked up my pen to try to write, all that came out was miserable, depressing little drabbles that had no place in this story. And because this is supposed to be a 'light' one, I had to wait for some to shine through that dark cloud before I could write again. I really have all that continued to read, follow, review and favorite my story for finally starting to shake that off, because every time I saw a new email in my inbox, my heart hurt and I felt like I was letting you guys down. I may not be a hundred percent there yet, but it's enough that I finally starting writing again, so I hope you're still with me. Thanks so much for your patience. Here's a nice long chappie, hope it was worth the wait._**

* * *

"Are you sure you're-"

_I know I'll look ridiculous swatting at the air, but I'll take a swing at you if you ask me if I'm fine._

It was all Charlie had said to her when she trudged down the stairs this morning, forfeiting any semblance of a 'good morning'.

No, she hadn't told him what had happened (and had no intentions to... though she was sure it would get brought up eventually _if_ he ever got wise to her missing phone) his concern was still focused on her shoulder.

Luckily, she had always been a crazy fast healer (which she supposed was nature's way of apologizing for making her ridiculously clumsy as a kid) and was able to ease his worries by letting him glimpse the, now, yellowish tint to her bruise. Even if he had still been against it, she would have argued until she got her way.

She felt like something had changed between her and Jasper Saturday night and was equally thrilled and nervous to see how he reacted to her today.

Unfortunately, Charlie's hemming and hawing over her shoulder and then refusing to let her drive her, despite the dent in the door, perfectly operational (well, maybe not _perfectly,_ considering it rode pretty rough before the accident) truck made her late (again) so she wasn't able to see him in the parking lot... and she didn't see him in the hallway in between classes either.

By the time lunch rolled around, her shoulders were slumped and she had firmly convinced herself that he was deliberately avoiding her. In her frustration, she had once again snapped at Nan's concern.

_That's not what's bothering me,_ she explained in an apologetic tone as she shuffled towards her locker.

"The boy," Nan replied knowingly.

_You don't have to say it. I get it, I'm crazy. I was just hoping... god, I don't know what I was hoping._

Focusing on opening her locker, she didn't see the smug smile that stretched Nan's face.

"Well, quit hoping, Chime," Nan whispered conspiratorially.

_Wha-_

Her back went rigid when she sensed someone come up behind her. Three someone's to be exact.

"Bella, right?"

Gathering her wits, she slowly turned around raising an eyebrow as she faced the one who had spoken. Emmett, the goofy one. Trying to hide the intimidation at being approached by half of the vamp brigade (even if one of them was the one she really wanted to see) she reacted the way she usually did when uncomfortable. With sass.

"No, Bella Swan actually."

Emmett lips stretched into a wide, dimpled smile. "I think I like you already."

"I'm flattered." '_Woah, dial it back some Bella,' _she told herself.

Emmett didn't seem to be particularly insulted, not once losing the smile on his face. "I know we've been sharing the same class for two weeks now, but just as a refresher I'm-"

"Emmett," Bella blurted, before wincing slightly at her outburst. "I mean, I remember. Rosalie, right?" she asked timidly, pointing at the female member of the trio.

"Call me Rose," she replied with a small quirk of her lips.

Bella nodded. "And... Jasper, of course." This was said a little softer than the other two, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. It darkened when he nodded and flashed her a lopsided grin.

She jumped when Emmett clapped loudly. "Well, now that we have that out of the way, you have to eat lunch with us today."

Bella blinked. "I don't-"

"He won't leave you alone until you say yes," Rose warned. Bella was slightly shocked at the playfulness in her voice. She never expected the blonde beauty to be this personable. She had an air about her that screamed if their lives were a movie; the vampires would be the Socs and the humans the Greasers.

_'And that's the last time I watch The Outsiders before going to bed.'_

Emmett nodded with false solemnity.

_Nan?_

Nan eyed the three contemplatively, seemingly weighing the honesty in their offer, before giving a light nod. "It's really up to you, Chime."

Bella snuck a peek at Jasper who was giving her an encouraging grin. "Um... if you're sure?"

Emmett nodded and then smirked. "As long as you promise not to spit chocolate milk on me."

Bella matched his smirk as she grabbed the medium-sized Tupperware container that had her lunch in it from her locker and closed it. "I have a hankering for juice today anyways."

Slinging a heavy arm over her shoulder, Emmett began steering her in the direction of the cafeteria. "You know, I have a feeling we're gonna be best friends."

"Why am I suddenly terrified at that thought?"

Emmett laughed uproariously while Rose chuckled softly beside him.

She felt cool breath on her cheek as Jasper leaned in close. "Don't worry, Darlin'. I'll protect you."

Strangely, she didn't doubt it for a second.

**-oo-**

The pixie-like girl blinked up at her from the table, the beginnings of a sneer forming on her face.

"What is this?"

The arm that was still over her shoulder pulled her closer. "This is Bella," Emmett replied, like the answer should be obvious."Bella, this is Alice and Edward." He nodded his head in their direction.

"I know," Edward spoke lowly. There was an angry tinge to his voice that made Bella turn her head away from his penetrating stare and unconsciously step closer to Emmett.

She flashed Jasper a hesitant smile when he pulled out a chair and encouraged her to settle in. "Thanks," she murmured, before stiffening at the snotty tone of Alice's next words.

"And why is she sitting here exactly?"

"Oh, we're total biffles now," Emmett replied, plopping his own giant frame into one of the plastic chairs, which let out a small squealing whine in protest. Rose was a bit classier in her seating; sliding so smoothly into her seat it put the Queen to shame.

Despite the obvious tension at the table, Bella groaned. "Please tell me he did not just say that."

Jasper smirked. "He just said that."

"She can't-" Alice started to whine.

"She is." Jasper spoke firmly, taking his own seat at the table.

Bella shifted uneasily as Alice shoved back her chair, stood and stalked away, Edward trailing closely behind her.

"Um.. maybe I shouldn't sit here. I didn't want to make things uncomfortable with your family." She pushed back her own chair, intending to stand up, but was stopped by a firm hand on her arm.

She looked over into Jasper's melted-honey gaze. "Stay, please?"

"Yeah," Emmett agreed, "don't mind Alice. You probably did us a favor. Anything's better than having to listen to 45 minutes about some fashion designer I can never pronounce correctly. It's Badge-lee Meesh-kah, Emmett, not Bagdad Mishmash," he mocked in a whiny falsetto.

Bella chuckled. "Those barely even sound the same."

Emmett grinned. "Never said I didn't do it on purpose."

Bella popped open the top of her container, which contained a mixture of fruit, and withdrew a slice of pineapple. Bringing it up to her lips, she paused as she eyed the otherwise empty tabletop. "Did you guys want to grab something?"

Nan tsked from her position leaned up against the cafeteria window behind Emmett. "Naughty, Chime."

Bella's eyes dropped. She hadn't done it to intentionally call them out. For a brief moment, she had actually forgotten that they weren't human.

"We're good." Emmett chuckled.

"Had a really big breakfast," Jasper muttered.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Rose broke it. "So, Bella, where are you from?"

Bella laughed. "Well, here, technically. I was born here, but moved to Phoenix soon after my parents' divorce. I used to visit a lot in the summertime when I was a kid."

Emmett chuckled. "Phoenix huh? And how are you liking the balmy Forks weather?"

"It's not... bad."

Jasper smirked. "You hate it."

"I don't really hate it, per say."

"You hate it," he repeated.

"I dislike it," she countered.

"Funny, I never would have guessed. Not with you sitting outside all the time," he teased.

Bella flushed and shrugged. "I just like the fresh air," she mumbled.

Emmett grinned. "So not only were you Bruce Lee in another life, but a polar bear as well."

Bella cocked an eyebrow, the polar bear reference she understood. "Bruce Lee?"

"The van?"

Bella laughed uncomfortably. It had been easy to set Charlie's mind at ease, or at least semi-ease, about that but somehow she doubted the excuse of 'cat-like reflexes' would settle well with these three. "I, um, used to take gymnastics quite a bit when I was younger. I guess something stuck."

Nan snorted. "You're not talking about that class your mother made you take at the Y are you?"

_It counts._

"Sure, if 'quite a bit' means three weeks and 'gymnastics' means tumbling around doing somersaults and cartwheels on exercise mats."

_Fine, next time someone asks I'll tell them my dead great-grandmother told me to jump out of the way. Happy?_

Nan zipped her lips with a grin and Bella was pulled back into the conversation by an amused Emmett.

"Gymnastics, of course."

Rose shoved his shoulder and smiled gently at her. "That's not what you should be asking. How are you doing anyways?"

Bella smiled, so relieved at the topic change, it didn't even bother her that, not only was she being asked how she was _again_, but that she got the sense that Rose wasn't just asking about the van incident either. She wondered exactly how much Jasper shared with the other two and whether or not she should be mad about it. She decided now wasn't the time to stress about it anyways.

"I'm good. I honestly think my truck and bag got the worst of it."

"Your bag?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, it got crushed under the tires. I've had that thing since junior high. I think it might have been _someone's_ way of telling me to get a new one."

Nan snickered.

Emmett leaned forward. "And your truck? I noticed it wasn't in the parking lot when we got here this morning."

Bella shrugged. "The door got banged up pretty bad, but according to Ch- _my dad's_ mechanic friend, it's still drivable. He doesn't seem to be entirely convinced though. He insisted on driving me to school today." Though saying the word 'dad' felt a little rusty (referring to him as that after the accident had been the first time she used the word in years), she really didn't feel like answering the _'who?'_ or the _'why do you call your father by his first name?'_ questions she was certain she'd get if she used the name 'Charlie'. Having happened before in the past, she knew it was never a fun conversation to have and usually ended with some variation of _'my parents would smack me if I ever tried calling them by their first names.'_

Bella nibbled lightly on a slice of pear. "So where are you guys originally from?" She frowned slightly when the three exchanged a quick yet obviously uneasy look and felt the need to clarify. "I mean, obviously I've heard the rumors around school... not that I paid much attention to them." It was pretty pointless when you knew the real truth about the Cullen's.

Jasper cleared his throat. "Rumors?"

Bella's eyes widened. "Not anything bad." If you didn't count the rude opinions of those obviously jealous of their wealth and beauty, of course. "Just mainly about you guys being relatively new to Forks yourselves and how you're all... adopted." She said this word hesitantly; a little unsure about whether it was considered a taboo subject. Especially when asked by a girl they barely knew during lunchtime in a crowded cafeteria.

Emmett's lips quirked slightly. "Those rumors wouldn't happen to be of the _incestuous_ sort would they?"

Bella flushed and looked down at the table. While she hadn't put any stock in it (again she was all Real Truth girl here) that _particular_ rumor seemed to be a crowd favorite.

"It's not true," Rose commented lightly, though Bella could detect the slightest bit of disdain in her voice for the people who spread it around. "Other than Jasper and I, none of us are directly related."

Bella couldn't stop from glancing casually between Jasper and Rose. Like she had noticed before, thanks to the similar color of hair, eyes and skin tone (though those last two could easily be applied to the entire family) the two could believably pass as brother and sister. She wondered briefly why they even bothered with the lie before growing curious as to which particular angle they played with the whole thing. Older brother, younger sister? Or perhaps the other way around? Seeing as how they were in the same grade, she had a pretty good idea what it was.

"Twins?"

Rose nodded. "Fraternal," she clarified and flashed a grin at Jasper. Even though they may have been lying about their exact relations, Bella could clearly see the sisterly affection in that one smile, and the answering emotion in his own grin.

Because of this, Bella decided to buy into the lie and play it up for their benefit, keeping her fingers crossed that she wasn't overdoing it on the enthusiasm. "That's really neat. So can you guys, like, read each others thoughts or feel what the other is feeling?"

There was a sputtering fit of laughter next to her, before Emmett managed to choke it off into a poorly disguised cough. He pushed himself back from the table and stood. "I think I'm gonna go grab something to drink." His lips wobbled as he spoke, like he was trying desperately to stop them from smiling.

Bella watched him walk away before turning back to Jasper and Rose with a confused look. "Umm... did I..."

Jasper's smile seemed forced when he answered. "Don't mind him, he's an idiot." Bella could hear the restrained anger in his clipped words and fidgeted slightly in her chair, confused at what had set the whole thing off and uneasy at unintentionally inciting some sort of confliction between the family members. Again.

Thankfully, her shifting proved to work at easing the tension at the table somewhat, when the movement disturbed the piece of jewellery that had previously been hidden in the fabric of her sweater and caught the light from the glaring fluorescents overhead.

Bella looked down when Rose appeared to be staring quite intently at her chest area, wondering if she had dribbled on herself. She sighed in relief when she realized her gaze was focused on the necklace that somehow managed to sneak its way out of its usual place beneath her t-shirt. She remembered that in her second period math class the teacher had surprised the class with a pop quiz and that she had taken it out to fiddle with during a particularly difficult problem.

"That's a beautiful necklace."

"Thanks," Bella replied, fingering the small set of silver bell-shaped pendants. "It was a gift from my great-grandmother. An inside joke if you will."

"Silver Bells?" Jasper grinned.

"It's Christmas time in the ci-TEEEE!" Emmett warbled, badly, suddenly coming up behind Bella. He shot a grin at everyone who turned to look including a startled Bella and a chastising Rose.

Taking a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, Bella laughed. "Exactly."

Emmett settled back into the seat, placing his unopened can in front of him. "Machine gave me the wrong kind. You want?"

Bella eyed the can of root beer and shrugged. Though she wasn't the biggest fan of pop, she _was_ thirsty. "Sure." She popped the tab when Emmett slid it across the table towards her and took a sip.

"Sorry about earlier. Inside joke if you will." He smirked as he repeated Bella's line. She heard a dull thunk beneath the table and, judging from the frown that Jasper shot him, guessed he had just been kicked.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, _she warily addressed Nan.

Obviously whatever Emmett was alluding to pertained to their 'otherworldness' in some way and her presence was forcing them to go to almost childish lengths to hide it from her. Even if she didn't know what they were, she'd be suspicious as hell (and more than a little uncomfortable) at this point and probably practicing her _'it's been fun, but I gotta grab something from my locker'_ speech.

She snuck a quick peek up and eased somewhat at the look on Nan's face. She didn't seem to share Bella's concerns and appeared to be vaguely amused at the whole thing.

"I'm amazed their secret has lasted as long as it has. They're quite terrible at subterfuge. Then again, I suppose they've never had to play it this close to the actual source before."

Rose shot an exasperated look at the both of them, before turning back to Bella. "So, your great-grandmother?" She tilted her head with genuine curiosity.

Bella hesitated briefly, shifting her eyes between a still glaring Jasper and Emmett, who had lowered his eyes almost in, she frowned internally, submission.

"Um, yeah, on my mother's side. We moved in with her when we left Forks. She practically raised me."

Emmett and Jasper finally broke their staring contest to look at Bella. "What about your mom?" Emmett asked with a frown.

Bella shrugged, slightly embarrassed at having said it in the first place. "She was around, she just-" she searched for the right word, doing her best to show neutrality despite the occasional bitterness she felt, "-_struggled_ with raising a daughter on her own."

Emmett looked uneasy, probably uncomfortable for asking the question in the first place. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she assured him with a small smile. "It was great, really. She taught me some really awesome things." She wasn't sure if the existence of vampires was on that particular list. "Like an appreciation for books and classic rock."

"Favorite band?" Jasper asked with a grin, the tenseness from early seemingly gone.

"Lynyrd Skynyrd." His eyes lit up and his grin widened and Bella felt herself responding in kind. "I'm talking original vinyl too. I'm pretty sure I was the only teenager in my entire school who even knew what a record player was."

With the tumultuous emotions at the table eased, and the encouraging looks from the three at the table (not to mention the puffed, prideful stance of Nan who was clearly basking in the glory of _'my granddaughter is cool thanks to me'_) Bella continued.

"She even taught me how to throw a punch." She chuckled lightly. "Although that one ended up doing more harm than good. And trust me when I say, you have not lived until you get a sex talk involving a banana and a sliced and pitted avocado." She looked down distastefully at her lunch. "That put me off eating fruit for a few weeks."

The table was completely silent, before the three broke into boisterous laughter, gaining looks of bewildered awe from the surrounding students. There was even the distant clang of a tray being dropped. Bella turned her head slightly to watch the boy scramble to pile the remainders of his lunch back on it while shooting a look of terror in their direction as if their laughter was a sign of his imminent doom. Bella allowed a brief moment of pity to rush through her for the three that were smiling at her as their laughter slowly tapered off. It was sad at how isolated they appeared to be because of people's awe (and no doubt fear) of them. She wasn't under any false impressions that this was the only place (or the first time) that it happened or that is was solely their own doing. She even noticed Nan gazing at them with them with a saddened fondness.

"The visual alone..." Jasper choked before trailing off with a husky chuckle that sent shivers down Bella's spine.

"She is officially the coolest grandmother ever," Emmett said in wide-eyed awe.

"She sounds like she was a wonderful person," Rose agreed.

"She's amazing, really."

"Oh, she's still alive?"

"No... uh, she died when I was eleven. I just... kinda feel like she's always with me, you know?" She fought the urge to give a snickering Nan the stink eye. She dropped her head, almost ashamed to face the genuine sympathetic looks that was now on all of their faces and busied herself with snapping the cover back on her container.

When she raised her eyes, Jasper was tilting his head slightly. She could see questions churning in his beautiful golden gaze, but she could see his hesitation as well and grew apprehensive when he finally opened his mouth.

"Wh-"

The bell rang, interrupting whatever he was going to say and Bella felt her shoulders slump with relief when Emmett immediately jumped up from the table.

Rose cocked an amused eyebrow at him as she stood up from the chair as gracefully as she slid into it. "What's your hurry?"

"As you well know Rose, history waits for no man," he replied diplomatically.

Bella, who was smiling shyly up at Jasper as he pulled her chair out, frowned humorously at Emmett.

"Uh, that's not exactly how-"

Jasper leaned towards again. "Let him have this one," he whispered in her ear as Emmett and Rose turned to leave.

"Mmmkay," she agreed goofily, as Jasper placed his hand on her lower back and steered her towards the cafeteria exit.

After a brief stop at her locker, they headed towards their History class, entering the room as a group. Bella, distracted slightly by Emmett's wildly enthusiastic play by play of some video game she really had no interest in (more amused by the manic movements of his hands and the expressions on his face then the actual game), almost missed the double take the teacher shot the quartet when they entered.

She frowned, slightly insulted by his reaction, which almost mirrored those they had been given in the cafeteria. She wondered if it was more because _she_ was hanging out with _them_, or if it was that _they_ were hanging out with _her_ that was causing it. She was just barely starting to crawl her way out of the 'strange new girl' stigma (which had been hampered slightly by the van incident) and now this? She wondered if all the extra scrutiny was worth it.

As Jasper's firm hand on her back guided her into her seat and its owner smiled down at her, she decided it just might be.

**-oo-**

"This project will be worth thirty percent of your mark..."

Jasper once again found himself tuning the teacher out as he stared thoughtfully at the head of soft, mahogany waves in front of him.

Lunch had gone better than he hoped.

Bella had been clearly apprehensive when they first approached her (he blamed Emmett's insistence on barreling into things head first for that), and while the open hostility from Alice and Edward hadn't helped (Alice he had expected, but the dark eyes and the thinly veiled fury churning through Edward's emotions threw him a little and he made a note to bring it up with Rose and Emmett later) it had all but disappeared when they finally eased her into a conversation.

While he wasn't surprised that Emmett had taken to her so quickly, the same couldn't be said for Rose. Though she had been the one to suggest the idea in the first place, he hadn't expected her to be as... kind to Bella as she had. While he didn't doubt that his retelling of the events that had happened Saturday night had softened her towards Bella, it still didn't stop him from being shocked at the genuine affection he felt trickling through Rose's emotions with each passing minute.

Seriously, who was this girl that managed to achieve such impossible feats without even trying, or knowing what she was doing?

And that wasn't all that confused him about her. He had thought that being closer to her would help him get a better lock on her emotions and try to figure out why they didn't feel the same as everyone else. It wasn't that he couldn't feel them that bothered him (because he could) but how they felt like they had been passed through a filter. They were just so... pure.

Human emotions were tricky things and were like opening a box of crayons these days. It wasn't simply blue, red, and green. No it was, periwinkle blue, robin's egg blue, fire engine red, strawberry red, forest green, aquamarine, etc. So many different names for so many similar colors, right up until you're pulling out the damn 'Macaroni and Cheese' and you're so overwhelmed your head starts to hurt.

Years ago (during what would be their third trip through high school), Edward had told him that he was lucky he only could feel their emotions and not have to read their minds. He began regaling Jasper with a few choice thoughts from a girl that was apparently considering suicide, moaning about her dark thoughts and milking the _'woe is me for having to hear them'_ for all it was worth.

Jasper had stared at him for a long moment, before blasting him with a mix of misery, defeat, fear and self-loathing, a lethal cocktail powerful enough to bring a whimpering Edward to his knees.

_"You may have to hear it, but this, _**_THIS_**_ is what she feels. What _**_I_**_ feel," he had hissed._

Edward never brought the subject up again.

Vampires were easier, their emotions largely numbed by an eternity of stagnancy. He could almost count the number of emotions they felt on one hand, usually cycling between boredom, anger, hunger and cynicism. His own little family was an exception to this, usually adding love, humor and happiness to the mix (or at least as close as they could get to it). The Cullen's exhibited similar ones as well, but theirs was tainted slightly by the desperate need to fit in, to mimic humanity.

Bella's was different because they didn't overwhelm him. Instead they, like her intoxicating scent, just sort of flowed in the background as clear as babbling brook, so calm and steady and _simple_. So that, instead of focusing on _them_ (which is all his gift seemed to let him do most days and was one of the reasons he was so uncomfortable around humans), he was simply able to focus on _her_. He wondered if the bond had something to do with it.

Admittedly, he was a little confused with a few of her, _misplaced_ emotions. The embarrassment after asking them about lunch, the uneasiness when Emmett asked her about the van, the shame when they finished the talk about her Nan right before the bell rang.

Her actions at the table were unusual as well. Occasionally he'd see her quickly flick an imperceptible look over Emmett's shoulder. Had it been anyone else, he would have been suspicious, but he couldn't sense the least bit of duplicity in her and he hoped that their mating bond wasn't clouding his judgement. He had already gone through something like that once before, with a woman he thought was his mate and it was one of the many moments in his tarnished history that he had no interest in repeating.

Speaking of history, he snapped back to attention when Mr. Hill began winding down his explanation.

"Work in groups of two or three..."

"Ooh!" Emmett interjected, waving his hand wildly in the air. "Will four work?"

"Fine, Mr. McCarty." It was spoken with the tired finality of a man who knew it would be pointless to argue.

Jasper growled lowly as the boy in front of Bella turned to her with a flirtatious grin. "Hey do you wanna-"

"Lay off dude. That's my BFF you're talking to. Us three," Emmett stressed, whirling his finger in the direction of the three of them, "have got that shit on lock-down."

"Mr McCarty..." Mr. Hill's voice strained.

"Sorry, teach!" Emmett called out unapologetically, as he continued to glare at the boy until he turned back in his seat with a gulp.

He watched Bella cock an eyebrow before shaking her head. "Do I even get a say in this?" she asked Emmett, amused.

"Nope."

Jasper shook his head with a grin when she turned to him for conformation.

"I suppose," she sighed in mock exasperation.

Emmett rubbed his hands together with glee. "We are so gonna ace this."

Bella nodded in agreement, before her face twisted in a frown. "Wait a minute... that first week; didn't you claim that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife?"

**-oo-**

Jasper hesitated briefly at the bottom of the steps outside the school. He had been a little unsure at meeting Bella at her locker after school and offering to walk her out, but judging by the smile that lit up her face and the genuine pleasure in her emotions, she had been very receptive to it. Now he was hoping to get the chance to bask in her presence for just a few minutes more.

"Hey, you, uh, need a ride home?"

She smiled at him before wincing slightly as she pointed out the police car off to the side that was making a poor attempt at being inconspicuous. "I'd like too, but it seems as if my rides already here."

He shifted the strap across his chest in an attempt to keep his hands busy, lest they reach out and pull her to him. He had spent the whole lunch hour, and half of History class as they discussed the project, fighting the urge to touch her in some way. Whether it be to hold her hand or tangle his fingers in her hair or... his eyes flicked down to her pink lips as she slicked her tongue across them.

"Umm... I should get going," she said nervously. "My dad has to get back to work."

_'He's the police chief, he can go back whenever he wants to,'_ he wanted to say, but settled for nodding jerkily instead.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah." His eyes widened slightly, hope paralyzing him when she began reaching a hand out, before embarrassment quickly flooded through her. His shoulders slumped when she snatched it back, awkwardly raising it to run her fingers shakily through her hair. "I'll, uh, see you. Bye you guys," she threw over his shoulder, before turning and swiftly cutting across the school parking lot.

Jasper turned, frowning at the amused looks on Emmett and Rose's face.

"Sure you don't wanna go after her?" Emmett asked, a large grin stretching his face. "Sweep her off her feet and plant a big ol'-"

"Shut up," Jasper grumbled, stalking past him and getting into the car, slamming the door like a petulant child for good measure. He glanced out the window and saw Emmett waving his arms before sliding behind the wheel, Rose following suit on the passenger side.

She glanced over her shoulder with a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, you'll see her tomorrow."

Jasper grinned faintly as Emmett started the engine. _'Actually, I'll be seeing her a lot sooner than that.'_

**-oo-**

"How was your day, Bells?"

Bella looked over at a mildly expectant Charlie. "It was..." She looked out the window and caught the tail end of Emmett waving his hands exuberantly in her direction. "Good. Really good."

* * *

**_A/N2: Again, I'm taking liberty with Jasper's gift and more specifically Rose's character (mainly because I didn't want both Alice and her to be bitches- all that hate is exhausting so I'm sorta switching their roles). _**

**_The '_****_History waits for no man'_****_ line comes from the awesome mini-series _****_Aim High_****_ (EEK! Jackson is just so adorably scrummy in that!) I wanted Jasper to be the one to say it SOOO badly, but it fit better with Emmett. And the whole 'Joan of Ark/Noah's wife' is from _****_Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_****_._**


	9. It's Hard to Ignore an Elephant

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intend**_**ed.**_

_**A/N: I am extremely sorry for the late update. I work nights and sleep days (which added with my raging insomnia) means I have a very skewed view of time and am often confused with exactly HOW much of it has passed. I have to ask someone at least once a day what day it is, because I never really know. All I know is it's either a work day or it's not, nothing more. Yeah, I have no life. So when I realized it has actually been a month since I updated (and not the couple of weeks I originally thought it was) I jumped right on this sucker to get it out to you. The next chapter has already been written, so I'm gonna try to post that one tomorrow. Just my way of saying sorry.**_

* * *

Bella buried her head in her pillow.

"Mmph Mmph Omph."

"I'm sorry, I don't speak pillow. Could you repeat that?"

She flipped over and eyed Nan.

"I like them," she grudgingly admitted.

"And that's a bad thing?"

Bella shot her an incredulous stare. "Didn't you basically warn me to stay away from them?"

"Have I told you that lately?"

"Arggg!" Bella threw her arm over her eyes. "Would you stop being so evasive!"

She heard Nan sigh. "All right... I've had a feeling that something like this might happen."

Bella sat up and glared. "You said you weren't psychic!"

"I'm not," Nan replied defensively. "If you stop to consider it, it's two sides of the same coin really. I get the sense that something is wrong sometimes and now I'm feeling that something is right." She eyed Bella knowingly. "You feel it too, don't you?"

Bella flopped back down. "Yes," she grumbled.

A sudden loud banging from downstairs startled her and her brow furrowed. Who would be knocking on the door? Charlie had went back to work as soon as he dropped her off at the house (but not before she made him swear that he'd get his buddy to look over her truck) and wouldn't be off for a few hours, so she doubted it could be for him.

"Who's that?" she wondered out loud.

Nan disappeared, appearing again just before the second succession of knocks. "Answer the door, Chime," she said with a wide, mischievous smile.

Now Bella was nervous.

She tentatively slid off the bed and made her way out the door. "I'll just wait up here," Nan called cheerfully as Bella walked down the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, she flung open the door, immediately wide-eyed when she saw who was on the other side.

"Umm.. hiya?"

Jasper smirked. "Haven't we already been there before?"

She blinked and he grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't sure if you were going to answer the door."

Not,_ 'I wasn't sure if you __**were home**__'_, but _'I wasn't sure if__** you'd answer**__'_.

_'Careful, Jasper, your vampire is showing.'_

She felt the urge to play with him a bit.

"How'd you even know I was here?"

"Uh.. your truck. Your truck was in the driveway."

The truck he knew she didn't even drive to school today.

She let him sweat for a few more minutes, strangely enjoying that he looked seconds away from squirming uncomfortably, before breaking out into a welcoming grin. "What are you doing here, anyways? Not that I'm..." she trailed off when she noticed the bag in his hand. "Is that..."

He nodded with a shy smile. "I meant to give these to you at school today, but it slipped my mind."

He handed over the bag and she cracked it open to stare at the completely intact copies of the books she had bought the other day.

"Oh, and this too," he added, digging in the pocket of his leather jacket and withdrawing a _very_ familiar cell phone.

"You... how were these even still there? I thought surely they'd be ruined or stolen by now."

"I actually went back down that same night to get them," he admitted softly.

"Were those guys still..."

"Long gone."

Was he telling the truth, or had he done something to them? Something more, she should say. Though she wasn't sure what it was exactly, she knew he was somehow responsible for their bizarre reactions that night.

_'I really don't care if he did,'_ she realized.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to."

She had to turn away, fidgeting slightly under the intense stare he fixed on her when he said it.

"There's actually something else too." She sat the bag of books to the side of the door as he jogged the short distance to his truck and reached through the partially cranked window. When he came back, he was clutching something made of, what looked like leather.

"I noticed you were carrying your books today and you said your bag was destroyed, so I thought..." he finished with a slightly embarrassed shrug as he passed it to her.

Bella looked down, running her fingers over the supple leather of the messenger bag. It wasn't new, she could tell by the buttery smoothness of the material that it had been well broken in.

"It was mine," he explained. "But Rose got me a new one for my _birthday_." Was it just her, or did he stumble over that word? "So it's just been lying around the house. I figured you might like to use it. It's alright if you don't," he hurriedly assured.

_Like_ to use it?

It took all her willpower not to squeal out yes and rub the damn thing all over herself like a bitch in heat the minute he had said, _'it was mine'_. In all sincerity, he could have stopped right there.

"If you're sure?" she demurely asked instead, hoping the wobble in her voice was adequately covered.

Her heart flip-flopped when he grinned and nodded.

"Thanks," she offered shyly. "Did you, maybe, wanna come in?" She looked over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. "I was gonna fix myself a snack and-" She closed her eyes, her features twisting into a grimace as she realized that once again she _forgot_, before she smoothed them out into a placid smile and turned back to face him. As she expected, he looked uncomfortable again. _'Note to self, quit mentioning food.'_

She felt a thrum of pity that such a simple thing, that they couldn't help but be exposed to on pretty much an everyday basis, could cause such discomfort. She wonders what it would feel like to never be able to eat your favorite foods again, and whether or not they even remember what it tastes like. She thinks it might be that distant memory, that constant reminder of their lost humanity that makes them uncomfortable around it.

"Thanks, but Esme will probably have supper on the table when I get home." It was spoken causally enough to almost be believable, _if_ he had been able to control the slight tic of his jaw when he said it. Nan was right, he was pretty terrible at acting human up close and she wondered how, after all these years, he wasn't better at it. Maybe she only noticed it because she knew the truth.

"Esme?" she asked, her curiosity peaked. Was that the name of the woman, well, _vampire_, Nan had seen talking on the phone that day?

He nodded. "Yeah, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. They're our foster parents." Hmm.. There was definitely something in his voice when he said that, a little too subtle to detect, but she sensed some unresolved issues and decided that it was best to let the subject drop for the moment.

"Okay, well..." she trailed off awkwardly. "I'll see you at school than?" she asked shyly.

The tenseness disappeared from his face as he smiled. "Definitely," he agreed eagerly.

"Bye," she replied softly.

"Bye," he agreed, turning to leave and seemingly forgetting the small set of stairs behind him. He stumbled down them, his feet landing heavily on the pebbled driveway and she watched his shoulders slump before he twisted around and ran a sheepish hand through his hair. Bella stifled a giggle behind her hand, certain that if he was capable of it, he'd be blushing ten shades of red right now.

"Need some help getting to your truck?" Bella asked, amused.

She was pleased when he chuckled, glad that he seemed to be able to laugh at himself. "I think I can manage, Darlin'."

Her breath hitched when the endearment passed his lips, the drawl in his words more prominent and it was her turn to blush as a raging heat swept through her body.

"Okay, bye!" she yelped, swinging the door shut and leaning her flushed cheek against the cool grain of the wood. On the other side, she could hear a low, husky chuckle which was soon cut off by a slamming door and the sound of his truck engine roaring to life.

Bella lingered by the door, clutching the bag to her chest and waited for the sound of the truck to fade completely. When she was certain it was gone, she looped her hand around her bag of books before floating dreamily up the stairs and into her bedroom. Dumping the plastic bag on the floor, she fell back onto the bed, her arms wrapped around his, no _her_, messenger bag.

Nan chuckled. "So, what did Ranger want?"

"He-" she paused when the words registered and propped herself up on her elbows. "What did you just say?"

"I asked what he-"

"What _who_?"

Nan grinned. "Ranger."

Bella groaned.

While it was true Nan would assign just about everyone she knew with a nickname, more specifically she would only refer to the people she actually _liked_ (or at least tolerated) with said nickname (and you could usually tell how much she like them by how, um, _polite_ the nickname was.)

"You've nicked them already, haven't you?"

Nan shrugged unapologetically as her smile grew. "They've grown on me."

Well, that pretty much settled it. If they already got the equivalent of a thumbs up from Nan (who was a firm believer of _'choosing your friends wisely'_) after only a single day of talking to them then she'd _have_ to be friends with them.

The thought didn't bother her in the slightest.

**-oo-**

It was surprisingly easy to be friends with them.

Within days, they had fallen into a routine and she was sure her body was thankful that it no longer had to sit out in the cold now that she was a permanent fixture at what had been dubbed, _'The Cullen Table'_.

It was a good thing she was used to being stared at and whispered about; because it practically tripled the minute she parked her ass at the table for the second time. Apparently, once was almost unheard of, but twice? That was right up there with witnessing the second coming.

She had no less than ten people come up to her in those first few weeks asking, _'how you do it?'_ How she did what exactly, she wasn't sure; the closest she ever got to clarification was some random guy in a Star Trek t-shirt mumbling something about _'penetrating the force field,' _before breaking into creepy giggles.

Things didn't really ease up between her and the other two Cullen's at the table either. Many times she would be tempted to simply get up and leave (Edward's stalker stare was enough to turn just about anyone off their lunch), but it seemed the second the thought entered her head, Jasper was laying his cool fingers on her hand, arm or shoulder. A small smile would be on his face and a warm look in his eyes as he found some way to distract her back into the conversation.

Of course she'd be a puddle of goo after that, not sure if she was even capable of standing if she wanted to.

The power struggle at the table went on for a straight week (Bella had to admit her nerves were a little fried by then) before Alice and Edward's spots were mysteriously vacant the next week and Jasper had casually informed her that they found somewhere else to eat.

She didn't even want to imagine what that meant.

And they didn't just hang out at school either, but at their house as well.

She had finally met the elder Cullen's and started to understand the mild strain that had been in Jasper's voice when he mentioned them that day after they sat together at lunch for the first time. They didn't seem to share any of the same characteristics that either Emmett or Rose (who Jasper obviously had a very strong bond with) had and instead, reminded her more of Edward and Alice's personality. She had no idea how they all got along at home, but considering that Jasper seemed to barely tolerate those two most days at school, it wasn't surprising that he'd have a difficult time getting along with what was basically their older counterparts.

It had been uncomfortable to say the least.

They were polite and welcoming, sure, but there was a stiffness to their interactions, a falseness that felt almost scripted and their efforts to 'play human' left her feeling a tad unsettled. When it came to hiding what they were, Jasper still had his tense moments and Emmett usually had the subtlety of a rhino most days, but she take their poor efforts of keeping their secrets, well, _secret_ over the Stepford Duo.

She wondered if they realized the whole 'white picket fence' routine was probably just as terrifying as the 'we're vampires' bit. People in this town certainly didn't avoid them and talk about them because they knew the truth.

Being that she was technically on 'their turf', Nan always kept her guard up. She agreed that something wasn't right about the heads of house either. Not that it was bad, just that it was _off_.

Bella suspected it had something to do with the obvious favoritism that the two showed Alice and Edward whenever she was around, always asking if they could, _'please move whatever they were doing to another room' _if either one decided to complain. Which was often.

But she hadn't let any of that bother her. Instead, simply taking the time to get to know the three people that she was rapidly growing to care for. Two as family and one as something... more. It was her shifting feelings that made her realize that there was still a barrier there. A big ol' fat elephant in the room.

They knew it as well.

She could tell every time Jasper, Rose or Emmett made eye contact in the room and they seemed to be having a silent conversation. Or she'd look at Jasper in the middle of a movie or game and catch the pensive look on his face.

She constantly debated with Nan on whether or not just to sit them all down and blurt out: "Look I know."

Nan, always the voice of reason, would calmly tell her, "When they're ready, they'll tell you."

And each day, a little niggling voice in the back of her head wondered when that day would be.

**-oo-**

It had taken three weeks in total.

Three weeks of raising an eyebrow whenever Emmett cracked a controller in his exuberant game play (three in total). Three weeks of hearing the excuse, "I'm not hungry", whenever she coyly asked them if they wanted a bite of whatever she happened to be eating. Three weeks that finally concluded with two days of an 'impromptu family trip' (which conveniently coincided with the first two real sunny days Forks had had since she got here- something Nan deemed very interesting).

She thinks that might have been the clincher.

Their 'family trip' had unfortunately fallen on the exact two days that had been set aside for class presentation for the History project Emmett had been so adamant on her partnering up with them. She had been given leeway by the teacher the first day, but when they failed to show up for the second day, Mr. Hill (who she had long suspected didn't particularly care for Jasper or Emmett) had forced her to present it herself.

Thankfully the project had been complete for days and entrusted to her for safe keeping. At the time, she had felt very confident with the work they had produced, but with the judgmental eyes of the teacher and the entire class on her, she had found herself stumbling and mumbling through the entire thing. She was sure her face had been red throughout the majority of it.

She had refused all their calls that night and the next two days at school, couldn't help but be a little distant, barely saying a word to them at lunch or in class, despite the profuse apologies.

When school finally let out for the week, she came straight home and told Charlie she was feeling sick and that she was going to bed early.

Hours later she was curled on her bed listening to Charlie relay the lie to Jasper (who she _knew_ would visit) as Nan hovered by her bed shaking her head.

"This isn't the way to do it, Chime."

Is that what she was doing? Was she intentionally trying to force them into telling her their secret? She remembers how embarrassed she had been in the beginning whenever she accidentally brought up the subject of food, how she told herself to steer clear of mentioning it since it obviously made them uncomfortable, but for the last three weeks she wouldn't hesitate to ask whenever she had something edible in her hand.

The worst part is, is that deep down, she knew _exactly_ what she was doing. She just wasn't willing to admit it at the time.

Her cheeks reddened with shame. _'Oh god...'_

Disgusted with herself, she finally took Jasper's call the next day and was tempted to smack herself at the subdued tone in his voice when he invited her over.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and stuttered out an agreement.

**-oo-**

He was waiting for her on the steps when she drove up, an unreadable look on his face.

Bella hesitated, her hands curled around the steering wheel. Keeping her eyes straight ahead as she watched Jasper approach her, she addressed Nan (who she had asked to come with her for support), _What if he's decided I'm not worth the trouble?_

"It's not going to come to that, Chime."

The assurance in her voice was enough to ease Bella into finally turning the engine off.

Jasper held open the door as she slid from the cab. She stared at him for a few desperate moments, trying to see if there was any indication of what he was thinking or feeling. For some reason, it felt like it had been forever since she had seen him.

He looked amazing as always, but there was sadness in his darkened eyes and defeat in his slumped shoulders. Bella wanted to cry. She had done that to him.

"I'm sorr-" she blurted at the same time he said, "Can we-"

They both stopped, nervous chuckles rolling off their lips.

"You first," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "for ignoring you. I was just... frustrated at the situation." She wanted desperately to blurt out everything, but found herself chickening out. "I wasn't looking forward to doing the project in the first place and when you guys bailed on me, I let my anger get the best of me."

"It's alright, Darlin'." The pensive look that Bella had grown very familiar with over the last few weeks settled on his face as he inhaled loudly. "There's actually a little more to it then what we told you."

This was it. But she didn't know if she should even hear it. Not now that she felt like she had forced him into it. Nan was right; he should be able to tell her when _he's_ ready.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He stared at her with a confused frown and she wondered if he got the thinly veiled double meaning behind her words.

"Will you take a walk with me?" he finally asked.

Wordlessly, she nodded and with a sudden burst of boldness, reached over and laced her fingers with his.

**-oo-**

Jasper led the way, unconsciously rubbing his thumb across her hand and appreciating the softness of her skin.

To say he was surprised that she not only agreed to come here in the first place (after the borderline icy reception at school) but was now trustingly following him through the dense foliage behind his house would be an understatement.

Ever since those sunny days when they were forced to stay home he got the sense she was pulling away from them a little. Though the affection was still present in her emotions when she accepted their excuse with a small nod, it was now tinged in bitterness and disappointment.

The feelings just about killed him and deciding he _never_ wanted to experience them again, with the full support of Rose and Emmett he had let the Cullen's know that he intended to tell Bella _everything_.

Alice and Edward had reacted with outright hostility, the former telling him he was, "_making a big mistake."_ Carlisle and Esme had been reluctant as well until he made it very clear he _wasn't_ asking for permission. If he was honest with himself, his choice had been made the minute he saved her from those men in the empty lot; the minute he knew she was his mate.

Bella's labored breath brought him back to the moment and he realized they had been walking for a good ten minutes at least over some very uneven and difficult terrain.

Deeming this to be a decent enough distance away from the house (he had been tempted to bring her to 'the hideaway', but seeing as how it could only be reached on foot and would take at least two hours going at a human pace, he had nixed the idea) he stopped and turned to Bella.

His eyes ran over her beautiful features, committing every last nuance, from the flecks of dark green in her eyes (indiscernible to the human eye unless you were standing nose to nose with her) to the light smattering of freckles dusted across the bridge of her nose and flushed cheeks, to memory. He was worried that this would be the last time he saw her.

"Remember that night when I told you I wasn't like other guys?"

She nodded slowly.

"I meant it in ways you couldn't possibly imagine." He paused. "My last name isn't really Hale, it's Whitlock and I was born in Houston, Texas on January 7th," he inhaled loudly, "1844."

**_A/N2: Though you're given a year that Jasper is born, you're not really given a day (well, one site did, but I'm not sure if it was considered canon) so I just picked one off the top of my head and ran with it. I tried to make it coincide with him turning 17 before joining the Confederate Army (which looks like it was established sometime around February 1861) so if there's any problem, let's just say, it made sense to me._**


	10. Can't Feel Sunny If We Don't Share

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**A/N: You guys have been so awesome, understanding and encouraging! And since I can't individually hug each and every one of you, I decided to post the next chapter. :D  
**_

_**I'm working under the opinion that everyone reading already knows Jasper's history (I know it, and I've never even read the books!), so I'm not gonna repeat it here. I figure it's pointless unless you have something new to add to it and, well, I don't. I feel bad about what happened in his past, I really do, but I'm all about the present. **_

**_I tweaked Edward's gift slightly (I seem to be doing that a lot) giving it a little less... range, than he had in the movies. I mean, I'll buy the whole telepath thing, but the fact that he can hear thoughts a few miles away enters WTF territory for me._**

* * *

Finishing his story, Jasper rolled down his sleeves he had pushed up to illustrate his past, once again hiding the various vampire bites that covered his arms. His eyes had been turned away through the majority of it, shame coloring his voice.

"We're not your regular vampires, at least not the kind you read in horror stories or see in movies. We don't sleep in coffins, or at all, and other then blood, _animal_ blood," he stressed, "we can't eat. Holy water, crosses, stakes, sunlight, none of it hurts us. Our skin is tough, resilient, hardened by the venom running through our veins, which makes us practically invincible. But that same venom is a weakness as well, it's highly flammable and really the only real way you can kill us, but you have to-" he grimaced "-disassemble us first. They did get our strength and speed right, for the most part and the fact that we _never_ age. We're essentially frozen in time..." he finished pensively.

Realizing he'd spent the better part of ten minutes telling his entire life story to the ground, he finally looked up at Bella, steeling himself for the fear and disgust he was certain would be marring her chocolate eyes. He was surprised to see that she looked thoughtful instead.

"Whitlock, huh? It suits you."

Jasper gaped at her. "Please tell me that's not all you got from that conversation? I'm trying to tell you that the Cullen's are... that I'm... we're _vampires_."

**-oo-**

As adorable as the stumbled explanation was, Bella decide to take pity on him. "I know."

"Excuse me?"

"I guess it's only fair that since you told me your secret, I should tell you mine." She inhaled loudly, then lowered her voice to a terrified whisper. "I see dead people." She managed to hold a straight face for a few long seconds before breaking into peals of laughter. "I've...always...wanted...to...say...that," she said in between large gulps of air.

The laughter tapered off when she noticed the bewildered and slightly hurt look (he no doubt thought she was mocking him) on his face and immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," she soothed, reaching over to rub his arm affectionately. "I wasn't laughing at you." She sighed. "I should probably clarify. I see a dead _person_."

Pain darkened his beautiful golden eyes.

"Not you, you doof... Oh god," she groaned. "I'm doing this all wrong, aren't I?"

Desperately needing to erase the hurt etched on his handsome features, the hand she had unknowingly kept resting on his arm trailed up to cup a smooth, cool cheek. "You, Emmett and Rose are more alive than anyone I've ever met," she murmured. "And you make me feel more alive too."

The air around them grew still and silent as Jasper's eyes fluttered close and he raised his own hand to engulf the one resting on his cheek.

It was broken when Bella heard Nan sigh, "How lovely."

Embarrassed, she snatched her hand back and glared at the ground, catching Nan's contrite look out of the corner of her eye. "Well it was," Nan muttered defensively.

The moment officially gone, Bella awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Urm... well... You know my great-grandmother Marie? The one who gave me this necklace?" she asked, gesturing towards the small silver bells.

Jasper stared at her for a moment, his eyes an unreadable storm of emotion before finally conceding a nod. "Yes. The one who passed away a few years ago."

"Well... I've never stopped seeing and talking to her."

"What?"

"She's actually here right now."

"I sure am," Nan piped up.

Bella turned her head slightly. "Obviously he can't hear you," she chastised.

Jasper shifted his eyes in the direction she had spoken and seeing nothing more than the trunk of a large oak, skepticism quickly flashed over his face. Not quickly enough though.

"Oh," Bella huffed. "You tell me you're a vampire and I believe you immediately, but I tell you I see my dead Nan and suddenly _I'm_ the crazy one?"

"It's not that... it's just..."

"Fine," Bella cut him off, abruptly turning her back to him.

"Don't leave," Jasper pleaded, lightly clamping his hands on her shoulders to keep her in place.

"I'm not leaving," Bella replied, reaching up to pat his hand. "I'm going to prove it. Turn around."

"What?"

"Seriously, are all vampires this childishly stubborn? Between you and Emmett's full on goofiness, you're really blowing the whole 'vampires are badass' theory out of the water, aren't you? At this point, I think The Count from Sesame Street is more threatening then you guys." Adopting a heavy Dracula-esque accent, she continued with her ribbing. "Vun. Vun stubborn vampire. Ah ah ah."

She chuckled at the strangled affronted sound behind her followed by a petulant mumble that sounding an awful lot like, "show you who's a badass vampire."

"You do know that's basically the equivalent of insulting my manhood, right?" The petulant tone still tinged his words.

"Well, I swear I'll start on that next if you don't turn around."

Her neck prickled and she was certain he was staring at her. Finally he shifted and she felt the comforting pressure of his back against hers. She shivered slightly at the sensation.

"Why do I have to be turned around too?"

"So you know I'm not peeking."

"Peeking at what?"

"Hold some fingers up," she instructed, eying Nan who nodded, drifting over to position herself in front of Jasper.

"Ready," she called.

"Wh-"

Don't you dare say _what_ again, Whitlock!" She was really enjoying the way that name rolled off her tongue. "Just do it."

It was silent for a second, before her Nan called out, "Four, Chime."

"You're holding up four fingers," Bella replied confidently.

She felt the muscles in Jasper's back tense slightly.

"Six now, Chime."

Bella quickly rattled off that one, then the next and the next. Correctly guessing six in a row (including the three and a half and when he flashed five of his fingers in four quick successions) before Nan chuckled at the final one.

"Doesn't surprise me that this boy's Southern, he's got as much sass in him as you do, Chime."

It didn't take much for Bella to guess what Jasper had just done.

"Nan really doesn't appreciate you giving her the finger, Whitlock. Haven't you ever been told to respect your elders?" she paused with a laugh, as she did the quick calculations in her head. "Although I guess, technically, you'd be hers." Still chuckling, she turned, her movement encouraging him to do the same.

Shock was painted all over his face, but there was a mixture of reluctance and worry in his eyes.

Bella was disappointed. "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"It's not that," he sighed. "There's just... there's something I left out of my story."

Bella's face fell with resignation. As vague as he tried to be about how exactly he came to live with the Cullen's, she already knew what was coming. "I know. You and Alice, right?"

"I..." He frowned in confusion. "What?"

As much as it hurt her to say it, she knew it couldn't be avoided forever. "You two are together, aren't you?"

"We were," he admitted. _Was that...guilt? Strange. _"For a time." He closed his eyes. Okay, that was definitely guilt on his face. "A long time, but it's been over for a while."

"How long is a while?" Bella wondered if he could hear the vulnerability and thinly veiled hope in her words.

"A few years before we moved to Forks."

She wanted to ask why it ended, but felt like she was getting too personal, too soon. Instead she offered a softly mumbled, "Sorry," which he returned with a small smile.

"It's alright."

"So, something you left out..?" Bella questioned in an attempt to get them back on track.

Jasper gave his head a bit of a shake and nodded. "Right. Well, besides being a vampire, me, Alice and Edward have a little something extra."

Bella raised an eyebrow, unable to stop the instinctive reaction to scan his body. Somehow she doubted he was referring to an extra appendage though. "Extra?" Bella encouraged.

"I guess you'd call them _gifts_, depending on how you looked at it. I can feel and manipulate other people's emotions..." he trailed off when he noticed the look on her face. "But I've never used it on you." He paused. "Okay, so actually I have..." He hurried to assure her. "But only the feeling part. I can't really control that as well as the other."

"You've felt me?" Bella asked, then blushed heavily when a slow smirk spread across Jasper's lips. "I don't... I meant... You know what I meant. Ass," she grumbled.

He had enough common sense to take the high road. "I have," he agreed. "But nothing bad, I promise. It's actually nice, your emotions I mean. They're always so calm, steady. It's almost comforting. It's been a really nice change," he mused wistfully.

Bella couldn't stop the overpowering rush of affection if she tried and judging by the tender look he gave her, he felt it.

She turned her face away shyly, settling her eyes on Nan and allowing her comforting and loving smile to ease her tumultuous thoughts.

"And the others?" she managed.

"Well, Alice can see the future."

Bella noticed the concerned look on Nan's face, before her eyes narrowed with something akin to suspicion. "I don't like the sound of that, Chime."

Bella remembered the angry look on Alice's face the day the van had just barely missed hitting her and grew uncomfortable. Neither did she.

"The future? You mean everyone's or just her own?"

"For the large part, it's hers. But anyone who spends a significant amount of time around her is vulnerable to it."

_'Vulnerable, what a peculiar word.'_ Judging from the raised eyebrow from Nan, she thought so too.

"Rose refers to it as sinking her mind hooks into you. She's had to ask Alice repeatedly to stop looking into her future."

Bella was surprised. "Why? I figured you guys would appreciate something like that. Especially with the difficulties that undoubtedly come with being a vampire."

"The problem is that they're subjective to change, sometimes with hundreds of possibilities and outcomes. Think of it like someone with a remote in their hands and they can't decide what to watch." A dark shadow passed through his eyes. "Alice also has a tendency to share or encourage only the ones that benefit her."

Nan looked anxious to hear more and Bella wondered if it would be cool to just blurt out, _"I think your ex tried to kill me."_

"And Edward?"

"Edward... he can read minds."

Ahh... so that explained some of the apprehension earlier.

"And you think I'm doing something similar, right?"

"For a minute there, yeah."

"What changed your mind?"

Jasper lowered his head and rubbed his neck sheepishly. Bella was certain that if his blood was circulating, he'd be blushing right now.

"I was, uh, _thinking_ some things in your direction while we were talking."

_'Some things... wha...'_ Nan snickered and Bella's eyes widened.

"You... You... horndog!"

Jasper had the decency to look ashamed, turning his head away. But Bella could see the mischievous smile fighting to escape. "Not like I could control it around you anyways, Darlin'," he mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

Bella was getting really tired of blushing around him, so she fought the rising redness by replacing it with forced indignation instead.

"How do you know I can't..." she fumbled for words, "turn it off and on like a light switch?"she finished.

"Because Edward can't and he's the only telepath I've ever met. Even after almost 90 years he still has no control over it. He hears everyone's thoughts, all the time. To be honest, I don't think he even tried to erect barriers. He complains about it all the time, but I think he gets some sort of sick pleasure out of knowing everyone's business. Me, Rose and Emmett have had to come up with our own ways of keeping him out."

"How?"

"His gift only works if you're roughly in the same vicinity, which includes anywhere in the house. So if we're unable to find some reason to leave when he's around, we just occupy our mind with something else. I usually repeat the most monotone history book I've ever read, verbatim, Rose will alphabetize a list of car parts or models, and Emmett... well, he just thinks about sex."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Obviously. And Edward hasn't realized this yet?"

"Oh, he knows. There's just nothing he can do about it. We have it down to such a fine art, that he hasn't been able to hear our thoughts in decades."

"Huh," Bella said, completely at a loss for words. She blankly scanned the area, catching the amusement and concern warring on Nan's face.

_What is it?_ she questioned, deciding to keep her conversation strictly mental for the time being. Whether Jasper believed her or not, it obviously made him a bit uncomfortable. A part of her was strangely proud that she managed to make a _vampire_ uneasy.

Nan though, had no need for such concerns and stuck to speaking out loud.

"It's like the vampire discovery all over again."

_What do you mean?_

"You're taking it rather well," Nan said, repeating the words she had said the first day she had noticed the Cullen's.. Hales...McCarty's... Whitlocks.. Jesus, what _was_ she supposed to call them all now?

_Taking what well?_

"The fact that Ranger here just told you that there's a vampire in the family that reads minds."

Blink. Blink.

_Oh. My. God._

Her head whipped back to Jasper. "Edward can read _minds_?!" she half shrieked.

Jasper's eyes lightened with mirth. "Finally catching up to the rest of the class, Miss Swan?"

She couldn't even spare a moment to appreciate how delicious that sounded coming from him.

"So he's been creeping around in my thoughts since day one?"

She really, really did not like the sound of that. It was possibly even worse than the future bit. That meant he heard everything. All the times she resorted to childish name calling whenever she was (reluctantly) near him. That stupid rhyme that could never stop running through her mind. _'Deadward Edward's got a big headward.'_ She cringed now even thinking about it.

Then there was all the thoughts about Alice and how uncomfortable she was around her. How bitter she was about the obvious relationship (even if it was in the the past) her and Jasper... _Jasper!_ She almost swallowed her tongue. He had heard all her private thoughts about him. All her hopes, dreams and desires that she could never stop from dancing through her head when he was around, and even when he wasn't. Those were her most treasured thoughts and knowing they had been... _violated_ had her two seconds away from hyperventilating.

The rational voice of Nan broke through her panic. "It doesn't make sense, sweetheart. He hasn't reacted to our mental conversations once."

It inched closer to Defcon-0 thanks to Jasper's furrowed brow. (Or at least the vampire equivalent of a furrowed brow.)

"Actually, now that I consider it, I don't think he has."

"You don't?" Bella really needed reassurance.

"Around us, Edward's never been particularly mum about the things he hears in people's thoughts and usually won't hesitate to find some subtle way to call you out on it. Especially if it regards him." He smirked. "Something tells me you don't have the highest opinion of him."

Bella shrugged. There was no point in denying it.

"It would also explain why he's so frustrated by you. He practically drowns me in the emotion when you're nearby. I always thought it was something else."

"Something like what?"

"We are vampires, Darlin'," he reminded her gently, before hesitating. "And you are his... _singer_."

"His what? I've never sung to him a day in my life. Probably bust his eardrums if I tried."

Jasper's lips wobbled slightly and it looked like he was fighting a grin. "Not that kind. It's your blood. Your blood is what sings to him."

"Oh," she replied. Her eyes widened as his implications clicked and she noticed that Nan looked equally panicked. "_Oh_. Should I... should I be worried?"

"Of me, Rose and Emmett? Never."

"I know that," she said, doing her best to send out her complete faith and trust in him. In them. "But Edward..." she trailed off nervously.

"That means a lot, Bella, that you trust us that much," he murmured, his voice slightly choked up. "But as for Edward," his jaw tensed, "Carlisle would be the first to swear to you that he has excellent control, and while he hasn't slipped in a very, _very_ long time, a vampire's singer has a tendency to make them... irrational. I can't tell you for certain he's not a danger to you, but I can guarantee that me, Emmett or Rose will _always_ be near and I want you to promise me that you'll never be alone with him." He paused in consideration, than frowned. "Or Alice either."

Though all that information had made her incredibly uncomfortable, she also had to admit she was a little surprised that Jasper had included Alice and found it necessary to express this. "Not even Alice?" She didn't know why she was asking, she could barely stand to be in the same room as her as it was.

"Yes, Bella, even Alice."

Bella bit her lip, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Now would definitely be the time to bring up murderous exes.

"What?" Jasper asked softly.

Sensing her hesitation, Nan moved closer. "Ask him, Chime, it'll be alright."

She nodded in agreement. "Did she... did you know about...?" She wasn't exactly sure how to frame the question, but Jasper seemed to understand what she was asking.

"Rose said she looked mad that day. That she was glaring at you. Did you see her?"

Bella nodded.

He began pacing, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I honestly don't know. She's never very forthcoming with her visions in the first place, said it's her job to 'protect the future'." He sneered. "Rose suspected something first, but I was... skeptical. I wasn't sure until that night in Port Angeles." He lowered his head in shame.

"Hey," Bella chided softly, placing a hand underneath his chin and raising his head until his darkened topaz eyes met her own. "I hope you don't blame yourself for any of it, Jasper. I don't."

He reached up and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and lowering them. "Can't help it, Darlin'," he muttered self-deprecatingly, as his thumb traced nonsensical patterns on the soft flesh of her hand. "I'm used to being in control and we're not quite certain what she's up to."

"Is she dangerous?"

Jasper opened his mouth to reply, before clamping it shut again. "She's never shown any signs of it in the past," he finally admitted, if not a little reluctantly.

"Well than buck up soldier."

His lips tilted slightly at the corner. "It's Major, remember?"

"Then buck up, _Major_," she corrected with a roll of her eyes. "That's why you invited me to lunch that day, isn't it?" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Because you were concerned about me."

"That wasn't just it," Jasper defended and she chuckled at his assumption that she was offended about it. He pouted cutely at her laughter. "I would have done it eventually," he muttered.

"Well, maybe you should thank her for speeding up the process."

Jasper blinked slowly at her response, while Nan let out a huff of laughter in the background. "Only you, Chime. Only you."

A slow grin stretched Jasper's lips. "You're one a kind, you know that?"

"Count your blessings," Bella quipped cheekily.

His eyes became the equivalent of melted gold, as his voice lowered. "Oh, I do, Darlin'. I do."

Bella cleared her throat as a blush formed on her face, darting her eyes away to look at anything but him. Nan doing the fluttering, girly bit at the sound of his drawl certainly wasn't helping the matters.

As desperate as she was to continue whatever _this_ was turning into, she felt like it was important to know everything that she was getting into. It was a little difficult to gather her thoughts while he was still touching her, so she reluctantly released his hand, her heart twinging at the hurt in his eyes when she broke contact. "Um...What about Esme and Carlisle?"

"Normally, I would agree that you were safe with them, but considering their tendency to favor Edward and Alice..." he trailed off, his meaning all too clear. _Probably for the best if you didn't._

She inhaled loudly and took everything he said into consideration. "Alright, I promise to be careful around them," she swore softly.

"Thank you, Darlin'."

"Why did you decide to tell me anyways? Besides Emmett and Rose, do the others know?"

"Yes, the others know. You can imagine how Edward and Alice reacted. Esme and Carlisle were a little more understanding. A bit reluctant, but they gave their blessings anyways. Even if they didn't give it, the three of us would have told you anyways."

"Why would you do that?"

"Lying to you was hurting us Bella... it was killing me," he admitted, before pausing. "And you've known this _whole_ time?"

Bella nodded sheepishly.

A myriad of emotions crossed his face. "That certainly explains a lot of things."

Bella tilted her head curiously. "Like what?"

"Once or twice there was something... _off_ about your emotions. Sometimes they never really matched what you were doing or saying. I could never figure out why you felt so guilty all the time."

Bella lowered her eyes. "Lying to you was hurting me too," she whispered.

His eyes softened and he took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tentative hug. She welcomed the embrace, sinking into him with a soft sigh and he let out his own faint murmur of appreciation.

He pulled back with a playful smile, twining a lock of hair around his fingers and giving it a light tug. "Could have saved us a lot of trouble if you let us in on the fact that you already knew."

"And miss out on you and Emmett stumbling over those piss poor explanations when you did something decidedly supernatural? Never."

Jasper scanned his surroundings, noticing the deepening shadows that indicated nightfall was swiftly approaching. "It's getting late, I should get you home before Chief Swan deems it necessary to come looking for me with a shotgun."

"Would that even hurt you?" Bella wondered out loud.

He grinned. "Not a scratch."

"I'll see you at home," Nan piped up beside her. "Seeing as how you've forgotten I'm even here anyways."

_Sorry, Nan._

"Don't be. If I had a boy like that to distract me, I'd forget me too." She grinned cheekily and disappeared.

Turning around, Jasper bent down slightly, and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Interest you in a ride?"

Bella eyed his back. "Are you serious?"

"You scared?" he countered, a note of challenge in his voice.

"Bring it on, Whitlock." She hopped up, plastering herself to his back and wrapping her leg around his waist and her arms around his neck. She blushed when she felt the tremble passing through him, which he tried to cover by taking off in a swift run.

As the cool night air whipped through her hair, Bella buried her face in his nick. "Hey, Jasper?" she murmured against his throat.

"Yeah?"

"You said you felt everyone's emotions right?"

"Yeah..." A little more uneasy this time.

"Do does that mean you feel when girls are on their rag?"

He groaned.

* * *

**_A/N2: So what did you think? I thought it was pretty fun writing Bella being so chill about the whole thing. It just wasn't in her to be freaked out... if Jasper had hovered around her hissing 'Say It', in her ears, than it might have been a different story._ _I'm sorry, but the original moment from the series was just creepy. There is no way I would've gone out into the middle of the woods, alone, with that vampire.  
_**

**_And yeah, I've always personally wondered about the Jasper/Period thing... not so much the blood, but the wacked out emotions that came with it. Asking myself if he suffered from sympathy pains or something. Tell me that uncomfortable look on his face in the first movie didn't look like someone suffering from cramps. _**


	11. We Are a Family

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: Thank you SOOO much for the amazingly positive response to my last chapter. The fact that you guys have steadily kicked this story past the 200 review mark has just blown my mind! :D_ **

**********_*Added note* HA... Just realized I've been wrongly using the name MCCARTHY for Emmett, when it's actually MCCARTY. Man, I wish you guys would've jumped on me like a pack of rabid bunnies for that mistake... would've saved me from feeling like a dumbass. :P It's all fixed now, and can I say, you see any future errors like that (aside from the ones I point out that are deliberately wrong) please, give me hell for it. _**

* * *

"So, what is it you want me to do exactly?" Emmett asked, bouncing lightly on his toes.

It was the second time Bella had to be asked that question.

They were standing in the place that had been deemed Jasper, Rose and Emmett's 'special' spot and Bella had been touched that they considered her worthy enough to offer her an _'exclusive membership'_ (Emmett's words) to the place. She decided it was definitely an appropriate place to let them in on her secret. Of course, Emmett had immediately demanded some sort of proof.

She had been about to offer up her suggestion when Emmett had conveniently walked into a small beam of light that had penetrated the dense foliage. Bella had gaped when his skin burst into a thousand diamond-like sparkles.

"I... what? What is that? Do you all do that?" She stared in wonder at Jasper and Rose when they nodded their agreement. "Why didn't you show me that yesterday?" she asked Jasper.

"Must've slipped my mind."

"_That_," she exclaimed pointing at a glowing Emmett, "slipped your mind?"

She snuck a peek at Nan, who looked torn between amazement and amusement. _I was right, Nan. Bram is _**_definitely_**_ spinning in his grave right now._

She turned her gaze back to Jasper who looked slightly pained. "We could do without the Saturday Night Fever, Darlin'."

Bella was embarrassed to realize she had been humming '_Stayin' Alive'_ under her breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, attempting to placate a pouting Emmett (who had thankfully moved out of the spotlight.) "It's just a bit of a shock to the senses." She paused, thoughtfully. "Huh. Guess it explains why you all missed school those rare sunny days. Can't very well show up to school lit up like a disco..." she trailed off at the three blank looks being directed at her, though she could detect humor sparkling behind the similar sets of topaz eyes. "Right. That's not the reason we're out here. We..." She flushed. "Uh, what was I doing again?"

"Proof," Jasper supplied with a smirk.

Bella nodded. "Right. I want you to run, Emmett." Bella paused and turned to Jasper. "How keen are your senses anyways? How far can you hear?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "You know, Emmett can just go behind that tree and mumble something and you won't hear him?"

"No, but you will. I want to make sure there are no doubts. So how far?"

"At least a mile." Emmett had already taken off before Jasper finished the sentence, Nan unknowingly on his tail.

Five minutes later, Nan appeared first with Emmett only a few seconds behind her. With a grin, Nan floated to Bella's side and, though it really wasn't necessary, leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I am NOT repeating that!" Bella yelped, glaring at Emmett as her face flushed.

"Repeating what?" Emmett challenged.

"That you and Rose... that you guys... arg..." She stomped over to Rose and harshly whispered the rest of it in her ear.

"Emmett!" Rose barked, leveling her own icy glare at him. "That was one of those _never_ talk about again moments!"

Emmett offered his most innocent little boy look. "It had to be something nobody else knew, babe."

Jasper looked thoughtful. "Huh. That explains that night when you came home complaining about pine needles being stuck in your-"

"Shut. Up." Rose ordered through clenched teeth, shooting him her patented _'finish that sentence, and I'll rip off your arms and beat you to death'_ glare.

Emmett was too busy being stunned to laugh.

"Well I'll be damned," he said, mystified before his face broke into a large dimpled smile. "I can't believe I got little Bells to say..."

"Don't," Jasper warned when Bella's cheeks darkened further and Rose's glare intensified.

"Fine." Emmett pouted. He began to look around. "So, she's here right now?"

Bella nodded her head in the direction of the medium size moss covered rock Nan had drifted over to sit on.

Emmett shifted his gaze, squinting his eyes and giving the impression that he believed if he stared hard enough, she'd suddenly materialize.

"And she's always around?"

Bella shrugged. "Like this? Yeah, pretty much since I've been eleven." She exchanged a fond smile with Nan.

"Yeah , but I mean, like, _always_."

"I-" Bella paused slightly. "You better not be asking what I think you're asking," she warned the same time Jasper groaned, "Seriously, Emmett," and Rose elbowed his gut.

Nan was shaking with laughter. "My god, Star must have her hands full with him."

Bella joined her laughter, nodding her head in agreement.

"Did she say something?" Emmett asked, rubbing his side with a small pout.

"Yeah, Nan's just wondering how Star puts up with you."

Rose cocked one dark, perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Star?"

Bella cringed. "Ugg.. sorry. Nan has a tendency to come up with nicknames for everyone. Even when she was alive, she never called anyone by their real names. Ever. Even letters she wrote would be addressed to your nickname. Not to mention a few checks that would turn out to be almost impossible to cash... I think she did that part on purpose though."

Nan flashed her a _'who me?'_ smile

"You almost get conditioned to it after a while. Do you know how embarrassing it is to almost call your mother Fly when you're talking to her?"

"Fly?" Jasper asked this time.

"Yeah... my mother's sort of, _flighty_."

"Why Star?" Rose asked curiously.

"She said you look like a glam movie star from the old pictures she used to love in the '30's."

Rose's smile managed to look both flattered and heartbroken at the same time. "That's very sweet of her to say."

"Does this mean I have one too?" Jasper questioned with a boyish grin.

Bella brushed prettily.

"She, um, calls you Ranger."

Nan started humming the Lone Ranger theme in the background and Bella flashed her a grin.

Quickly catching onto the reference, Jasper's eyes widened with delight. He gestured towards the rock. "She's still sitting there right?"

Bella nodded.

Jasper turned and pantomimed tipping a cowboy hat. "Thank you kindly, Ma'am," he said, thickening his drawl to the point where it could be compared to warm molasses.

Nan clapped in hands in delight, before a thoughtful look stole over her face, Bella was too busy swooning to really pay attention. Rose chuckled lightly at the dreamy look on her face.

"Me next! Me next!" Emmett exclaimed, waving his hand like an overly excited fifth grader. "What's mine?"

Bella snapped back to attention, flickering somewhere between embarrassment and amusement.

"This should be good," she heard Jasper murmur.

"It's Duke."

Emmett flashed a triumph smile at Rose and Jasper and struck a haughty pose. "That's cause I'm so regal right?"

"Not exactly..."

Rose was nodding her head in encouragement.

"You see.. Nan had this dog, right? To look at it, it was incredibly intimidating. Huge. The neighborhood kids were equally in awe and terrified of it, they usually went out of their way to avoid him whenever he went out for a walk. It wasn't until they saw how playful he was with me, the two of us loping happily around the yard, that they realized that he was nothing more than a marshmallow inside."

Jasper and Rose were chuckling at this point, but Emmett looked confused.

"I don't get it."

"The dog's name was Duke."

"Whaa... I share my name with a dog?" Emmett sputtered

"He died a few years before my Nan. He was my best friend ever when I was a kid," Bella admitted softly.

Emmett's face softened with affection and he quickly made his way to her and pulled her into a gentle hug while Rose and Jasper looked on fondly. "Guess it's not so bad," he mumbled. He smiled at Bella when he pulled back. "Hey, do you have one too?"

Blushing, she nodded.

"It's alright, Darlin'," Jasper said. "It's probably something special you share with your Nan. You don't have to tell us."

"I don't mind, sweetheart," Nan assured her.

"She calls me Chime."

"Chime..." She watched as Emmett rolled the name around in his head. "Bella, bells, chime. It's perfect! Wish I thought of it first," he grumbled.

Nan nodded again.

"Nan says she doesn't mind sharing it."

"Nah," Emmett replied, taking his place beside Rose again. "Jay's right, it's something special between you and your Nan, I respect that." His eyes lit up. "Hey, bells ding right? How 'bout ding-a-"

"Don't even dare."

Emmett pouted, before brightening up. "So, can she do any tricks?"

Bella frowned. "She's not a dog, Emmett."

"I'm sorry," Emmett said contritely. "I mean does she have any ghostly powers?" He waggled his fingers after he said it, making a loud _'oooing'_ sound.

"Nah, she pretty much hangs around watching people in the showers. She says _'nice ass'_ by the way."

Emmett's mouth dropped open and Jasper mirrored it.

"Chime!" Nan yelped, scandalized.

Rose tittered as Bella guffawed loudly, clutching at her stomach with tears leaking out of her eyes. "I don't know whose face is funnier, you two or Nan's."

"She... she doesn't really watch me in the shower, does she?" Emmett chuckled uneasily, looking more than a little disturbed by the thought.

"Not recently," Bella agreed.

"Bella Marie Swan," Nan warned lowly.

She sighed. Never mess with Nan when she breaks out the full name. "No," she assured Emmett. "She doesn't." Nan was still glaring at her. "_Ever_." She finished firmly.

Emmett nodded with relief, before he trailed his hand cockily over his chest. "It's probably a good thing she doesn't, she'd probably die all over again getting a good look at-"

A rock pinged off the side of his head. Hard.

It didn't seem to do much damage, in fact the rock appeared to be worse off, but Emmett rubbed at the spot it had hit. "The hell?"

"One of Nan's _tricks_," Bella mocked.

"Does she move it with her mind?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Nope, she pretty much just picks it up."

His eyebrows rose. "She can touch solid objects?"

Bella nodded. "And pass through them just as easily." She could see the next question in Rose's eyes. "Other than me, inanimate objects only." She could tell they were disappointed. "I'm not sure why the rules don't apply to me. I think it might be because I _needed_ her to be solid."

Rose's eyes softened with understanding.

"You have to let me borrow her!" Emmett exclaimed, rubbing his hands together and chuckling diabolically. "Oh the fun I could have with Eddie boy..."

Bella frowned when Nan looked like she was seriously considering it. "No," she told both of them.

"But-" Emmett whined.

"Not a chance," Rose warned.

"Can she do anything else?" Jasper asked, his features a cross between serious and eager.

"Well, we can talk to each other mentally," she pointed at her head to emphasize, and seeing the look everyone was giving her, she clarified, "but she can't read anyone's mind. And other than that, she occasionally gets these, well, _feelings_."

"Feelings?" Jasper echoed. "Are you saying she _knows_ things?" He managed to look both amused and sour at the same time and Bella just knew there was a story there. She'd have to ask him later.

"I guess you could say that. It's usually bad things though," she hesitated, "of the _life threatening_ sort."

"HA!" Emmett yelled suddenly, making the three of them jump. He ignored Rose's scowl and pointed his finger at Bella. "The van."

"The van," Bella agreed.

Emmett preened at being right. "And I thought the ninja theory was cool."

Jasper's face was serious. "Does it happen often?"

Bella turned to Jasper and shook her head. "No. It's only happened once before, when our house burnt to the ground."

He looked pensive as he considered her answer.

"I know what you're thinking, and according to what you've told me about it; it doesn't work like Alice's. Nan doesn't actually see anything, she just gets feelings a few seconds before it happens, a minute at the most and makes judgements based on that."

Nan looked ashamed at the lack of range her gift had. "Don't be sorry, Nan," Bella spoke out loud.

Jasper turned in Nan's direction with a nod. "She's right, don't be sorry. You're gift has already saved her twice. Never be sorry for that."

He walked over towards Bella and wrapped his hands around her upper arms, staring at her intently. "Promise me you'll tell one of us if she ever gets these feelings when we're around."

"I promise," Bella replied, before hesitating. "But if we're in mixed company, I can't exactly blurt out that Nan's got one of her feelings though."

Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment, before a smile spread over his face. "Don't. Just say _van_."

Bella grinned and nodded, before finally noticing the dimmed smile on Rose's lips. "What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's nothing... I," she hesitated. "I was just thinking how fitting it was that your grandmother thinks I look like a '30's movie star because that's when I was turned."

Nan looked crestfallen. "Oh dear... Chime, please tell her I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"Nan wants me to tell you she's sorry if she made you rehash anything."

"No, no," Rose hurriedly assured. "It's a great nickname." She flashed a small smile in the direction of the rock. "Certainly better than any of the other ones I've been called over the years."

Emmett moved to wrap an arm around her when she released a small shuddery breath. "I should tell you my story."

Bella shook her head. "You don't have to. I understand if you don't feel ready." She felt strangely hurt by the next part. "I know you haven't know me for very long and-"

"No," Rose cut in, "you've shared such a big secret with us, and it's only fair that I show I trust you enough to do the same." She looked up at Bella. "And I do, trust you I mean. As strange as it is for me, I trust you."

"You've already told me your biggest secret. That's more than enough."

"I want to tell you," Rose replied firmly.

She took a moment to gather her strength.

"It was 1933. I was 18, and I was beautiful. My life was perfect..."

**-oo-**

By the time she was finished her story (which had blended into Emmett's as well), Rose was huddling in Emmett's arms as he cooed softly at her and Bella was wrapped in Jasper's, tears running down her cheeks.

What do you say to something like that? What _can_ you say?

"I am so, so sorry," Bella choked out.

Though her eyes were still haunted, Rose managed a small smile. "It's alright. Though I wouldn't wish what happened to me on anyone, in the end it led me to the brother I never had. My twin." She gazed at Jasper with sisterly affection before turning back to Emmett. "And to my soul mate."

Emmett's eyes were suspiciously wet as he pulled her into a crushing hug. "I love you Rosie," Bella heard him whisper.

When they finally pulled out of the hug, Bella watched as Nan floated to Rose's side and hovered her hands in a caressing motion over her cheeks, humming softly to her.

"Jasper?" Rose asked, mystified. "Is that you?"

Jasper's hand paused in running though Bella's hair. "Is what me?"

"I... I feel such comfort."

"No, Rose. It's not-"

Bella lifted her head up from Jasper's shoulder. "It's Nan... she's singing to you. It's what she used to do when I was a kid and I was sad or wasn't feeling well."

Rose's grateful topaz eyes unknowingly connected with Nan's. "What's she singing?"

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

"Thank you," Rose whispered.

"You're welcome my Little Star."

Tears pooled in Bella's eyes again. She had never wished that other people could see or hear her grandmother more than in this exact moment. She felt a cool hand caress her cheek and wipe the tears away. "Are you alright, Darlin'?"

Afraid her voice would crack if she spoke, Bella settled for simply nodding.

Detangling herself from Jasper's arms, she walked over to Rose and, not sure how receptive she'd be, wrapped her arms around her in a cautious hug. She relaxed into it when it was returned.

"Thank you for telling me," she said as she pulled away. She looked around at Jasper and Emmett. "Thank you all for telling me..." Her lip wobbled. "For trusting me.." She broke down into harsh sobs.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, bewildered, rushing to her side to pull her back into his arms.

"I... I _forced_ you to tell me all this," she choked out between sobs, her shoulders shaking.

"Nobody forced us to do anything, Darlin'," Jasper shushed.

"But I did," she wailed. "Constantly offering you food and making you uncomfortable, and getting mad over the stupidest thing ever. I didn't mean to, but at the same time I knew exactly what I was doing. I'm a terrible person."

Jasper chuckled lightly and rubbed his knuckles across her damp, ruddy cheek. "You're adorable," he murmured affectionately.

Bella gasped indignantly and pushed him away. "I'm being serious."

"So am I. I wanted to tell you from after the first day you sat down with us at lunch."

Bella's tears tapered when she looked over her shoulder and found Rose and Emmett were nodding in agreement.

"I should thank you for speeding up the process," he said cheekily, echoing what she had said about Alice the other day.

She pushed lightly at his chest, keeping her fingers there and spreading them unconsciously over his non-beating heart. "Why?" she asked.

"Why did we tell you?" Jasper clarified.

She nodded.

Jasper reached up and cupped his cool hands around hers. "Because we knew from that moment what you were."

"What am I?"

It was Rose who answered. "Family."

Her breath hitched as she looked over her shoulder at Rose, tears welling up in her eyes at the soft, genuine smile on her face and the answering one on Emmett's. But the look on Jasper's face meant the most, because in his eyes she could see that she was so much more than that.

"Group hug." Emmett could have shouted the words boisterously, as he was wont to do, but instead they were spoken softly, almost reverently, as the three of them crowded around her, securing her loosely in their embrace. And even knowing she was surrounded by vampires that could easily crush her with the slightest amount of pressure, Bella had never felt safer in her life.

_Nan_, she beckoned, reaching out her hand. Nan stepped forward and entwined her fingers with Bella and all was complete in her world.

**-oo-**

The embrace was broken after a few long, silent moments, and Jasper could hear that even the forest had gone quiet, as if in disbelief of what was happening.

For a human to be so wrapped so trustfully in the arms of three vampires (her emotions reflecting nothing but complete trust and, his breath hitched, _love_) was a practically unheard of event, especially since it was instinctive for humans to naturally distrust them. Like an animal sensing a predator in their midst.

She really was one of a kind.

He could feel the familial bonds strengthening, not just between Bella, Emmett and Rose, but the ones he shared with them as well, becoming almost tangible, as the lingering ties he felt towards the rest of the Cullen's (though it was nowhere near a familial bond, you couldn't spend decades with someone and not have some sort of connection form) which had been fraying over the years, thinned even further. He opened his eyes and looked at the two of them over Bella's head and they nodded in agreement, signalling that they felt it too.

He wondered what this would mean for the four of them, and if the Cullen's felt the ties severing as well. He doubted it. They were ridiculously reluctant to acknowledge their vampiric sides, and you had to dig in deep when addressing bonds.

Emmett and Rose stepped back first, but Jasper was content to keep Bella in his arms for a few seconds longer, unable to stop the light purr of affection, which was an involuntary reaction (and one of the more humiliating vampiric traits) their kind had in response to absolute bliss. The upside was that only mates could produce that sound.

Bella pulled back, slightly wide eyed and her cheeks pinkened. She giggled and buried her face in the fabric covering his chest, rubbing her flushed cheeks across it. Jasper could feel the heat of her though the fabric and was embarrassed when the rumble in his chest deepened even more so at Bella's next words.

"Pretty kitty," Bella murmured. The embarrassment disappeared and he clutched her closer as a sappy smile spread over his face when he felt the love and affection swirling through her emotions after she said it.

The smile turned into a chuckle when he noticed Emmett shifting off to the side, obviously a little uncomfortable with the affection overload.

"Teeth hurting just a little, Em?" he teased, finally releasing Bella.

He grinned, and Jasper could tell he was relieved to be back in familiar territory.

"I am feeling a bit of a sugar high," he agreed, grinning mischievously. "_Pretty kitty_."

Jasper was tempted to reach over snap off a limb, but Bella took care of it by flicking Emmett's earlobe hard. It was probably the only body part of a vampire you could hit like that without fear of breaking your fingers.

"No teasing, _Monkey Man_," Bella warned, curling her lips deviously.

If Jasper wasn't certain of it before, he definitely was now. _'God I love her.'_

Emmett turned to Rose with a wounded stare, horrified that she had shared the embarrassing nickname she had for him, which Jasper knew was due to his penchant for having to climb at _least_ one tree every time he went out for a hunt.

Jasper smirked when Rose shrugged unapologetically.

Emmett pouted, attempting to milk the moment. Seeing that he wasn't getting any sympathy, he sighed loudly and conceded defeat. Breaking out into a dimpled grin, he slung his arm over Bella's shoulder. "You know, you're like the sister I always wanted."

Bella grinned. "What about Alice?"

"Even more so after her."

The three of them chuckled.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Jasper looked up at the pieces of gray sky that was peeking through the trees.

"Looks like it's gonna rain. We should really head back." Offering his back to Bella, he took off in the direction of the house the other two following swiftly behind.

They were cutting through their backyard ten minutes later when their progress was halted when Alice ran out the door shouting:

"Where have you been?"

"Didn't _see_ us coming?" Emmett quipped.

Jasper smirked. He would never get tired of that. Alice _hated_ it when her gift was called into question and Emmett never hesitated to take every opportunity he was given to mock her.

"Very funny," Alice huffed. "Now hurry, we'll be leaving soon."

"Leaving?" Bella asked panicked. "Where?"

Alice waved a dainty hand. "Oh, it's just something we do as a _family_ whenever it thunders. You probably wouldn't be interested."

Judging by the sudden stiffness of Bella, he guessed she hadn't missed the extra emphasis Alice had put on family and glared in her direction. She rolled her eyes and turned her head away in response. Thankfully, Bella's trepidation vanished when Emmett's exuberance once again came unknowingly to the rescue and he began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Are you kidding?" he replied excitedly. "I can't believe I almost forgot. It's been months since the last time we got to do this. You have to come Bells!"

"Again, where?"

"To play baseball of course!"

**-oo-**

"You guys play baseball?" Bella questioned as Jasper dug through his closet, a little amused that vampires did something so... _human_.

"Only when it thunders."

"Why then?"

"Helps cover the sound it makes." He made a little 'aha' sound as his hands closed around a white garment and he pulled it out.

"Is it really that loud?"

"Louder." He held up the garment, which turned out to be a baseball jersey. It had **WHITLOCK** stitched on the back in navy over the number 14.

"Why 14?"

"Inside joke." He rolled his eyes. "Emmett's of course. It's referring to the number of decades we've been a vampire. We get new ones every 10 years. I'm actually due to get a new one next year."

There was hesitation in his eyes as he looked up at her and she had the feeling that he was regretting reminding her again how old he truly was, like she'd be disgusted by it. Although she could admit to be a little unsettled at how much _experience_ he had undoubtedly acquired in that time, disgust had never factored in. It hadn't the first time she'd realized his true age, not for a single second, and it would stay that way.

"Anyone ever tell you that you look pretty good for an old guy?" she asked flirtatiously, proud that she managed to keep her blush at bay; she knew her flirting skills were a little (okay, a lot) rusty.

She seemed to get the message across though, because he grinned, the clouds disappearing from behind his eyes. "The other one says Hale, but I want you to wear this one. Will you, Darlin'?"

She'd do anything as long as he kept calling her that.

"Of course," she replied with a giddy grin.

Jasper returned it and slipped it over her long sleeve t-shirt. She was immediately surrounded in the scent of dark chocolate and cinnamon.

His pale fingers reached for the buttons and slowly began to do them up.

Bella was certain this was the most seductive thing she had ever experienced.

"You look good," he murmured huskily when he finished with the last button.

Bella held her breath as he shifted his head closer to hers, his eyes trailing down to her lips. "Very good," he reiterated, his cool, sweet breath whispering across her face.

**_BANG! BANG! BANG!_**

"Aren't you guys ready yet?" Alice's irritated voice spoke from the other side of the door.

Jasper jerked away with a curse.

"You can go. We'll meet you there," he barked.

"Well hurry up. We're wasting thunder."

Bella rolled her eyes. Sure_._

The footsteps retreated as Jasper stalked over to the closet to angrily retrieve his own shirt. Bella leaned back slightly towards the window behind her and watched six figures dart into the woods. She grinned when Emmett turned briefly to wave up at her.

She turned back in time to see Jasper do up the final button, her heart stuttering at the intense look he was giving her.

"What?" she asked hoarsely.

He shook his head slowly then turned and offered his back. Like she did earlier, she climbed on and wrapped her legs around his waist. He slipped her arms under her knees and shifted to line himself up with the window.

"Bella?"

"Mmhm?"

"Next time, I won't be stopped."

He pushed open the window and leapt.

Just like her heart.

* * *

_**A/N2: Hmm... I wonder where those pine needles were... ;)  
**_

_**Rose's line, "It was 1933. I was 18, and I was beautiful. My life was perfect." was borrowed directly from the novel, Eclipse. Though I'm sorta not cool with doing it (it feels lazy somehow), when I researched her character and read this excerpt, I realized you couldn't get a more perfect opening line then that. All credit goes to SM. **_

_**And yes, I'm taking a few liberties with the year this takes place in (made obvious by Jasper's 'decades' comments). I know the original timeline is in 2005 and while I don't come out and really say SPECIFIC dates, I did start writing this in 2012, so that's kinda the year that was in my head. **_


	12. Take Me Out to the Ball Game

**********Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**_A/N: I'm a little uneasy about this chapter because near the end it kinda veered off the lighter tone I've been aiming and definitely became a little... murky._ _But it demanded to be written that way, and I am but a mere slave to my muse. Plus... lemme just say, kissing scenes (ACK! Spoilers!) are an absolute beyotch to write. I wanna give my own personal thanks to the ladies over on Twilight Non-Canon FanFiction for talking me down off the ledge and helping to calm my nerves enough to write the damn thing.  
_**

**_It led to a link to 'movie kisses' to help get the creative juices flowing and brought up a discussion about the 'Kiss to End All Kisses' and it got me curious. So, my loverly readers, what's the best movie/tv kiss you've ever seen? I'm personally a fan of the Rumpelstiltskin/Belle kiss from OUAT. So many kisses seem impersonal nowadays, almost awkwardly forced, but there was really something meaningful about that one. I really believed it, you know? _**

* * *

"So, anything happen?" Nan asked excitedly.

Bella eyed the others who were currently discussing the game plan and grinned wryly.

_Is that why you mysteriously disappeared when we got back to the house?_

Nan gave a sly 'I'll never tell' grin. "Well, did it?"

_No,_ Bella sighed_. I think it was going to, but Alice interrupted us._

A stormy look clouded Nan's face. "I really don't like that girl, Chime. Do you think... maybe she did it deliberately?" It was clear she was referring to her visions.

_I don't know_, Bella admitted uncomfortably. Did she mention how much that creeped her out? The fact that they could be fined tuned enough to prevent a single kiss? Was this going to happen every time? Her eyes sought out Jasper and her mind eased slightly when he sent her a flirtatious wink.

_He likes me... doesn't he, Nan?_

"Likes you?" Nan scoffed. "That boy is absolutely gaga for you."

_I find it hard to believe I could make a vampire gaga. Especially one that looks like him._ She took a moment to admire his lean form in the loose baseball jersey over a dark blue thermal, black jeans and dark sneakers.

"None of that. You sell yourself too short, Chime. You haven't seen how boys look at you. How _that_ boy looks at you. You are such a beautiful girl, both inside and out and I'll haunt anyone who tries to make you believe differently."

Knowing Nan, she probably would.

"I think I'm going to pitch this game," Jasper loudly interjected.

"But I always pitch," Alice whined.

Bella could almost see the tenseness in the air as Rose exchanged a look with Jasper.

"I think it's time to switch it up," she agreed.

"Couldn't hurt," Carlisle concluded. "You can have the next game, Alice."

"Fine." She pouted petulantly. "Then I'm up to bat first."

The rest of the group dispersed with Jasper, Emmett and Edward going out into the field.

Bella watched awed as, no matter who was swinging it, the bat connected to the ball every time, easily hitting it the length of two football fields. Just as amazing was Emmett or Edward disappearing in the woods (Emmett even scrambling up a tree once- she now got the nickname Monkey Man), returning only moments later and throwing the claimed ball in the direction of home. The time between hitting, running, catching and throwing was mere seconds and she spent the next ten minutes watching the whole thing with a child-like fascination. She understood now why they played during a storm, the cracking noise every hit made, rivaled the thunder in its intensity.

"Bella's turn!" Emmett suddenly boomed from the outfield.

Bella looked up wide eyed. "I don't think so." The last time she had attempted to play baseball, her gym teacher had finally taken pity on her after four balls and let her walk. Of course she'd made it worse when she somehow managed to trip over a rock on the way there and face planted into first base. The teacher yelling out, '_That's the first time I ever saw someone slide into first with their face!'_, hadn't helped matters either.

"I'll go easy on you, Darlin'," Jasper called.

Bella began to hesitantly approach the area designated as home, freezing when Alice sneered at her back, "Yeah, show us what you got, _Bella._"

"Pinch hitter!" Emmett hollered, scowling at Alice as he switched positions with Rose and jogged up to Bella's side.

He grabbed hold of her arm when Bella attempted to return to her spot. "Nuh uh, Bells," he scolded, positioning her slightly to the left of the base. "You stay right there."

"Let's see what you got, Ape," Jasper taunted.

"Bring it, Mood Ring."

Jasper pitched the ball so fast this time that Bella's human eyes could barely track the motion. The only clue that he even threw it was the satisfying crack as it connected with Emmett's swinging bat.

"Alright!" Bella cheered.

Tossing the bat aside, Emmett yelled, "Hop on, Bells!"

So caught up in the excitement, Bella didn't hesitate jumping on his back. She squealed when he took off around the bases, which soon turned to giddy laughter as Emmett kept up a steady stream of chatter as he passed each base.

"Em and Bells take first... and second... and third! They are going for a home run ladies and gentlemen!"

They headed towards home base, where a determined Alice stood with her hands out. Emmett's feet touched the base just as the wild throw Rose had tossed flew five feet past where Alice was positioned.

"What the hell was that?!" she screamed.

With a smirk, Rose shrugged. "Slipped."

Ignoring the fuming girl, Emmett slipped Bella off his back and taking her hands in his, began jumping around (as gently as he could) singing, "Home run! Home run!"

As silly as Bella felt, she got caught up in Emmett's giddiness and chimed in.

Breaking away from her hands, Emmett pointed at Alice. "You suck!" he taunted. Then realizing what he just said, burst into boisterous laughter. "_Literally!_"

Bella's own giggles choked off when Alice sent her a poisonous stare. "I believe it's _Carlisle's_ turn now," she spat.

Bella stepped back as the dapper doctor approached the plate, jerking to a stop when she saw the panicked look on Nan's face.

_Nan...?_

"Chime..." '_Oh no. Please, not that tone.'_

"Don't react," Nan warned when Bella's face began to crumple in fear. She threw a pointed look at Alice. "Just let Ranger feel it."

Easier said than done.

**-oo-**

Jasper, who was winding up for a pitch, halted when in felt the sudden shift in Bella's emotions.

"Bella," he beseeched, lowering his arm. He grew even more worried at the fearful wide eyed look that she immediately tried to hide. He watched as the muscles in her face ticked.

He let the ball roll from his fingers as he approached her side. "You feeling okay, Darlin'?" he murmured.

He didn't know why, but it felt like the proper choice to be a little vague so as not to draw attention to her churning emotions.

Standing in front of Bella and blocking her from everyone's view, he encouraged her to mouth her concerns.

Her lips formed one word. _"Van."_

He flashed back to earlier that day and the significance of the word and felt ice freeze the venom in his veins. Immediately feeling himself fall into what Emmett cheekily referred to as 'Major Mode' he scanned the field, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Catching the eye of Emmett and Rose, who were approaching him from the side, he mouthed the same word.

He wasn't sure if Alice sensed anything from their interactions, (more likely she was just annoyed that spotlight wasn't on her) but seconds later her voice rung out, colored in the same far-off tone that usually indicated a vision.

"They're coming. Three of them. They were going to pass us by, but they heard Emmett's _atrocious_ singing."

Rose snarled at her when she ended her sentence with a pointed glare at Emmett.

_"Is it bad?"_ Jasper mouthed.

He watched her look to the side, before offering a helpless shrug.

Jasper nodded. "Emmett!" he barked. "Give me your hoodie."

Not even bothering to question him, Emmett unzipped the dark blue hoodie and wordlessly handed it over.

Jasper threw it over her shoulders, allowing only the briefest thought at how adorable she looked swaddled in the four sizes too big garment. Zipping it up, he instructed Bella to tuck her hair back.

"Rose?" he asked.

Understanding what he was asking, Rose removed the ball cap from her head and passed it to him.

"Tuck your hair up in this, Darlin'." He flipped up the hoodie when Bella did as he requested so it practically hid her face from sight.

"I can only hope their scents, added to the faint one on my own shirt, will be enough to cover up yours."

"Are you kidding? I can still smell her disgusting scent from here."

Alice stepped back at the three snarls that were directed at her.

"Alice," Carlisle warned.

Attempting to get the heat off her, she turned her gaze inwards. "They'll be here in 20 seconds."

"Stay behind us, Darlin' and keep your head down," Jasper ordered, before turning his back to her. Emmett and Rose stepped up beside him, forming an impenetrable wall.

Burying her head in his tense shoulders, Jasper felt Bella nod.

**-oo-**

_I'm scared, Nan._

"Have faith in your vampires and their strengths and abilities, Chime."

_'My vampires.'_ The thought strangely soothed her.

Exactly 20 seconds later, Bella heard the rustle of clothes signalling the arrival of the three newcomers. She was desperate to peek, but wouldn't break her promise to Jasper.

_Nan?_

"There are three of them, like _she_ said. Two are male, one blond, one dark-skinned and a female. And..." she trailed off with a gasp.

_What is it?!_

"Red. Their eyes are red."

_Oh god,_ Bella whimpered.

Trembling, she listened as Carlisle made introductions and a falsely friendly conversation was exchanged. Judging by the single, lightly accented voice, only one of the vampires was making the effort to be polite.

That changed when a game was suggested, ('_what the hell are they thinking_,' Bella thought frantically. Judging by the low growl she could feel vibrating through his back, Jasper didn't appreciate the suggestion either) and a feminine voice claimed:

"I'm the one with the wicked curve ball."

Unable to resist the urge to see what a vampire with red eyes looked like (if they differed in some ways from her own vampires) and ignoring Nan shaking her head, Bella peeked between Jasper and Rose's shoulders. At the same time, a huge gust of wind caught the hood of the sweatshirt just right and blew it and Rose's hat, right off her head.

Her eyes widened in panic when the blond male inhaled greedily and turned hungry, dark eyes to Bella.

"I see you brought a snack."

She stumbled backwards when three simultaneous roars split the air and Jasper, Emmett and Rose darted forward.

Falling to her knees, Bella clamped her hands over her ears and curled into herself, desperately trying to block out the sight and sound of battle.

She silently prayed this wouldn't be the last time she saw her vampires.

**-oo-**

"Bella," a soft voice whispered.

Blinking, Bella stared at the navy fabric that encased the arms her head was buried in. She winced slightly at the tense feeling in her jaw from clenching her teeth so hard.

Was it over? Was she dead? Were her vampires dead? Was... _Jasper_ dead?

"Darlin'?" The same husky voice came again, sending warmth through her entire body. She knew that voice.

"Jasper?" she murmured, finally looking up into the melted gold eyes of the man crouched in front of her. "Jasper," she repeated, her voice choked up as tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks.

He was okay.

She threw herself in his arms and he stood, bringing her up with him and returning her desperate hug as hard as he could without hurting her.

Pulling back slightly, she tangled her fingers in his golden locks and, uncaring that they had an audience, an audience that included his bitter ex and her Nan, pulled his lips to hers.

The tears strengthened when they lightly touched, and the world around them stilled. She kept the pressure gentle, neither making the move to deepen it. This was a kiss of fear, of relief, and more importantly, of love.

"_Ahem_," a voice coughed from the side. "We risked life and limb too. I'm not saying you have to kiss us, but-" the cheeky words were followed by a grunted, "Oof!" and a softly hissed, "Emmett!"

Tearing away from Jasper, as much as she was bereft to do so, Bella looked over his shoulders at a slightly mussed Emmett and Rose.

With a soft, understanding smile, Jasper released her from his arms, and she skirted around him to run towards them. She stopped short when she saw the jagged claw marks across Emmett's broad chest, the venom leaking out and staining the white wife-beater he wore.

Noticing where her horrified gaze was focused, Emmett looked down. "What, this? Nothing more than a scratch," he assured her.

Seeing that she still looked dubious, he pulled the shirt up, "Look, it's already starting to heal. It wouldn't be so bad, but I think the bitch licked her fingers."

Bella turned her confused gaze to Jasper.

"A vampire's venom is one of the few things that can cause significant damage to us." He rubbed his arms. "If it's deep enough and there's enough venom involved, it also has a tendency to scar."

Bella turned mournful eyes to Emmett. "Those marks will be permanent?"

"Nah, it was just a little and she really only got the surface. By the time I feed it'll be completely gone."

"It's the truth, Bella," Rose said, thankfully the worst damage done to her appeared to be her torn clothes and the dirt smudged on her cheek. Bella had never seen her so messy. (_'And she still looks perfect,'_ she grumbled.) "He's had worse injuries before." She shot Emmett a mini glare. "Just can't stay out of trouble."

Convinced by Rose's snarkiness, Bella's feet ate up the last few steps and she looped her arms around both of their necks.

"I was so worried," she blubbered as Rose patted her gently on the back.

"Takes more than a few vamps to hurt me," Emmett boasted.

Bella pulled away and looked pointedly at his chest.

"Scratch," Emmett insisted.

Scanning the field, Bella shuddered as she looked at the scattered parts. A blond head here, a leather jacket clad torso there, a dark-skinned arm just off to the side, a... she frowned and stared a little harder. Something didn't look right. Something was...

"Missing," Bella remarked out loud.

Coming up behind her, Jasper growled. "The third one, the female, managed to get away." He glared accusingly at the Cullen's.

As if realizing they were still there, Bella followed his gaze and immediately understood his frustration. The four standing off to the side were completely unruffled, not a hair out of place. In fact, they looked irritated more than anything, and like the day of the van, shuttered rage burned in Alice's eyes.

Emmett looked ashamed as he fingered the tears in his shirt. "She got the jump on me. I tried to chase after her, but she was so fast. I lost her after a mile."

"It wasn't you, Em," Jasper assured him. "Why didn't you stop her?" he growled at the Cullen's. "She ran right past you."

"I tried," Edward sniffed indignantly.

Nan scoffed. "He tried alright, Chime. He feinted a lunge and didn't put up a fight when she easily pushed him aside. His efforts barely wrinkled his clothes."

Jasper seemed to share her opinion. "Tried my ass."

"We shouldn't have to resort to violence, son," Carlisle stated diplomatically. "We could have-"

"Violence?" Jasper scoffed. "They sure as hell didn't hesitate to _resort_ to it. They could have killed my... Bella."

_His Bella? Did I hear that right?_

"You heard right, Chime."

"You did attack them first," Carlisle reminded.

Jasper's face darkened. "You know very well what they would have done if we hadn't," he spoke lowly, his accent deepening and roughing up the words.

"You didn't have to kill them."

Rose looked disgusted as she stepped forward. "I'm sorry Carlisle, but what exactly did you expect us to do? Let them go and hope that they abide by the 'this is our territory' rule? Surely you've seen the paper, the three _mysterious_ deaths yesterday? Obviously a pack of nomads could care less about whatever claim you think you may have on this town."

Carlisle looked shocked, obviously not used to Rose talking to him this way and Bella felt strangely proud of her. Something told her it took real guts to stand up to your maker.

"I guess we'll never know, will we?" She could tell he was trying to be casual about it, but there was a haughtiness to his words that was equivalent to someone saying _'You're wrong and I'm right.'_

Bella had to admit she was unnerved by the thought that he'd be so willing to chance her being ripped apart just so he could retain his neutrality. She wondered if he'd be off to the side saying '_We can talk about this,'_ as the three of them sunk their teeth into whatever body part of hers they could.

She hid a small, satisfied grin when her vampires seemed to be just as appreciative of his tone and were currently glaring at him.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, since you think you have the situation handled..." He exchanged a look with Edward and Alice then touched Esme's shoulder lightly. Though the matriarch looked the most reluctant of the four, she nodded in acquiesce to her mate. "We'll meet you back at the house then," Carlisle confirmed and him, Esme and Edward darted off.

Bella frowned when Alice remained unmoving, her face blank. Surely she wasn't staying behind to help? Her attention was drawn away from her still figure when Jasper approached her side.

He pointed to the edge of the field. "I want you to go stand over there with Rose."

"Jasper..."

"Please, Bella."

Behind him, she could see Emmett silently gathering the body parts together and arranging them in a pile in the center of the field, where the grass was the thinnest. She heard a clink and turned back to Jasper just in time to see him remove a silver lighter from his pocket. Immediately realizing what it was for, she absently wondered why he carried the thing around. Did he constantly expect to be attacked?

He must have noticed her look. "I'm used to being prepared," he muttered darkly. "Old habits die hard."

As much as she didn't want to leave his side, she understood why he was asking. The two male vampires might no longer be human, but they still looked it and she knew she wasn't prepared to witness their body parts burning, especially when she knew that they still weren't technically _dead. _

Her and Jasper had talked a little more when she had arrived home the night he'd told her his secret and found that Charlie had been called in to the station. He had went into a bit more detail about what it was like to be a vampire, even satisfying her morbid curiosity regarding their 'true death' (in an effort to debunk her stubborn beliefs about stakes- thanks to the fact that they appeared to be universal in ALL vampire movies), albeit a bit more reluctantly. She had learned that a vampire wasn't truly dead until their head and their heart were completely destroyed.

_'I wonder if they can still feel everything... if they can still scream..'_

She couldn't help the shudder that passed through her at the thought and she looked away from what Emmett was doing. Jasper's jaw clenched as his fingers curled tightly around the lighter in his hand.

She traced her own fingers across his knuckles. "Careful," she tutted softly. "You'll crush it." She reached that same hand up and smoothed it across his cheek, meeting his eyes beseechingly, trying to convey that she didn't think any less of him for what he had done or what he was about to do.

The small smile that stretched his lips was bitter but grateful and he dusted a faint kiss across her upturned forehead.

"Go," he ordered softly, pushing her towards Rose.

Giving him one last lingering look over her shoulder, she walked into Rose's outstretched arms and the two walked silently off the field.

**-oo-**

Jasper pensively watched the flickering flames, tensing when Alice sauntered over his side. He had almost forgotten she had stayed behind.

"You're a fool," she hissed.

"Not now, Alice."

"Did you know the blond one was that girl's mate?" she asked casually, inspecting her nails.

"Like I give a shit." Jasper sneered.

Alice leaned in close, keeping her words low. "You'd care if she came back seeking revenge for the death of her mate. What's that saying?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "An eye for an eye?"

Jasper grabbed her upper arms roughly, black bleeding into his irises. "What have you seen?" he snarled.

"N-Nothing," Alice stuttered, fear completely drenching her emotions. "I can't even see her half the time." She looked and felt so frustrated by the fact that Jasper was almost inclined to believe her. Almost.

"What do you mean you can't see her?"

"I mean exactly that," she huffed and Jasper could sense she was embarrassed and confused at the limitations her gift suddenly had, something he knew for a fact she had never experienced in the past. "She's fuzzy. Any vision with her is."

His grip on her arms loosened as he considered her words. He wondered if Bella's grandmother had anything to do with it. If her 'ghostly' presence was somehow causing interference. It might also explain why Edward couldn't hear her thoughts and why her emotions were sometimes difficult to get a lock on.

Alice mistook his sudden silence for something in her favor, raising a hand to brush against his cheek. "I'm just concerned about you. Whatever you may think, I still love you. And I don't like the fact that you're so willing to risk everything for this girl, Jazz," she murmured.

He cringed away from her touch. "Don't call me that," he snapped, pushing her back. "And _never_ talk about Bella like that again."

"Fine," Alice replied venomously, smoothing out the wrinkles his hands had put in her shirt. "But you know I'm right, you're not thinking things through clearly. Carlisle was right, attacking them was foolish. You don't know anything about them."

"They were nomads."

"Maybe they were... or maybe they were the leaders of a powerful coven of vampires who will come looking for them if they don't come back."

Jasper was amused. Though the red-haired female had speed on her side, a single newborn was more powerful than the three that had attacked them. There was no way they even possessed a tenth of the authority required to lead a coven of vampires. The thought that her gift wasn't working correctly became even more possible. She seemed to be grasping at straws. "You really don't know what's going on, do you?"

Alice's face darkened. "I'm just trying to make a point, Jaz- _Jasper_, one you should listen to."

"Listen?" he asked lowly. "You practically threaten my mate's-" He smirked when Alice flinched. "-that's right, my _mate's _life, and expect me to listen to you?" He leaned his face in closer. "I may not know what, or if, you really knew anything about this time or the others." Alice turned her head away, but he roughly grabbed her jaw and forced it back. "Yes, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, don't you? I might not be able to prove it, but if I ever find out you _do _know something..." the fire popped and he drew back with a cruel smile stretching his lips, jerking his thumb in its direction. "You'll be joining them."

Alice stumbled back and gulped loudly before turning around to take off in the direction the Cullen's had went.

Jasper waited until she had disappeared completely into the tree line before allowing his shoulders to slump as confliction warred heavily in him. Thanks to Alice's words, he was desperate to seek out the red-haired she-bitch and rip her apart, but because of the newness of the mating bond, he couldn't leave Bella's side. To do so would cause her and himself a lot of pain and weaken them both significantly. And he obviously couldn't tote her around the country, chasing a vampiress who was undoubtedly unstable due to the loss of her mate. For that reason, he couldn't send Emmett and Rose either. While he didn't doubt their abilities at defending themselves in the slightest, an unstable vampire made for a very unpredictable and dangerous opponent. He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to them.

He thought briefly about calling his second in command, but was concerned he was jumping the gun. He hated going into a situation half-cocked. For now he would wait, keep his guard up and hope that he wasn't making the wrong choice. That what Emmett had said in the forest that day was right, that Alice was just _jealous_.

If he had known things were going to be this complicated when he first decided to approach Bella...

He looked over his shoulder where Bella was huddled with Rose, shooting him a weak smile as he began walking in her direction. When he was close enough, Bella broke from Rose's embrace and ran into his.

"Is everything... all right?" she asked hesitantly, and he could sense her trepidation over his discussion with Alice. He allowed a passing moment of amusement. It wasn't the first time that she'd felt this, and he sometimes got the feeling that she thought all it would take was a simple interaction with Alice to have him falling back into her arms.

_'Never again,'_ he thought fiercely, pulling Bella's soft body closer. "Everything's fine, Darlin'," he said out loud.

Burying his head in her hair, he inhaled her soothing scent and decided that even if _had_ known the complications that would come with it; he still would have done it anyways

**-oo-**

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Bella replied. It was official. She had said that phrase more in the last month and a half then she had said in her entire life.

"Charlie?"

She looked around her bedroom, focusing on the clock on her bedside table and noted the early hour. "Won't be home for a few hours."

Jasper swallowed loudly and turned away. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he whispered.

"I didn't actually _see_ anything." She grinned sadly.

"Well then you shouldn't have had to hear it. I.. I never wanted you to see that side of me."

"Your protective side?"

"Yes.. no.. you know what I mean." He self-consciously fingered the sleeves of his shirt.

Bella stepped closer to him and began pushing up one sleeve. "What are you-" his words choked off when she began gently tracing the bite marks.

"This side you mean?" she asked softly.

"They don't... don't they scare you?"

"Nothing about you scares me. If anything, it makes me angry. I hate that you had to suffer through this." Her hand paused and she looked away guiltily. "But at the same time..."

His hand came up to cradle her chin and coaxed her liquid eyes back to him. "What?"

"At the same time... in their own way, they brought you to me," she whispered. A tear trailed down her cheek. "I'm sorry, that sounds ter-"

It was her turn to be cut off when Jasper's lips softly connected with her own.

He slid his hand around the base of her neck, slowly trailing it up to cup the back of her head as the kiss lost its hesitance and grew heated. He nipped lightly at her bottom lip, fighting a full body shudder when she immediately opened her mouth and tentatively brought her warm tongue out to touch his own. His senses were suddenly overwhelmed as the first real taste of her, like sun-warmed peaches, burst over his tongue and the faint scent of her growing arousal tickled his nostrils. He pulled back slightly to gather his bearings, leaning his forehead against hers and fighting with his desire to crush her to him and take what she was so willingly offering. She released a small, whimpering sigh when their lips broke the connection and his control snapped.

He slammed his mouth back down on hers. Any trace of hesitance was gone, replaced by moving lips and warring tongues. Hands got tangled in hair, heads were tilted and personal space was ignored as Bella plastered her body as close to Jasper's as possible.

He pulled away and licked his lips, savoring the taste of Bella on them and admired the color high in her cheeks (the barest hint of relief spreading through him when he realized the sudden rush of blood roaring through her veins wasn't affecting him in the slightest). He caressed her cheek softly as her eyelids fluttered and she panted lightly. The pleasant haze in his mind cleared as he looked around, suddenly remembering where they were. He chuckled. "Please tell me your Nan isn't here."

**-oo-**

Bella's eyes popped open and she felt the flush in her cheeks deepen as she hesitantly looked around the room. "No," she breathed gratefully. "I think she kind of has a sense for... um... these things."

A faintly disgruntled look crossed his face as he focused on a point over her shoulder. "And do these things... happen often?" he asked calmly.

"You're the first," she admitted softly.

He pulled her close to him and buried his face in her neck, murmuring what sounded like, "Good," against her throat.

They stood silent just enjoying the closeness for a few long moments.

"Bella?" he breathed into her skin.

"Hmm?" she replied, curling her body closer to his and lazily running her fingers through his hair.

He pulled back, naked vulnerability shining in his topaz eyes as he traced his fingers along the delicate bone structure of her face. "I... I love you."

Bella's breath caught. Other than her family (and only rarely from anyone other than Nan) no one had ever said those words to her before, and she had never said them either. Having never felt that way about anyone before, she never had any reason to. But staring up at this amazing, strong, caring, _beautiful_ man she suddenly had all the reason in the world.

"I love you too."

* * *

**_A/N2: Like last time, the lines you recognize: snack, wicked curve ball (look at me being all lazy again!) were taken from the movie Twilight. (I say movie because I haven't read the book.)  
_**

**_I'm sort of a cynical person... one that's not even completely sure if they believe in love sometimes. It's definitely an emotion that makes me awkward and uncomfortable so I found it a little hard to approach it in this chapter. I was concerned it would come off... stiff, I suppose. Artificial would probably be a better word though. That's why I'd really like to hear your thoughts about this chapter. Please let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it! :)_**


	13. Summertime and the Living is Easy

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: Thanks for all your positive words on the smoochies! Definitely eased my worries. And an EXTREMELY big thanks for kicking this story to almost 300 reviews. Seriously, you guys are... you guys are... there is not even a word for how awesome you guys are. Smoochies to each and every one of you. _ **

* * *

After the baseball scare, the remainder of her school year had passed without the slightest blip. Even Alice and Edward had stopped glaring at her at the lunch table (which both had grudgingly started 'eating' at again and where she was now officially a permanent fixture) and both made the effort to be nice...ish. She thinks it might have had do something with what had happened on the field that day. Although Jasper didn't go into much detail about what was said between Alice and him, there was definite tension between the two of them after that.

While she wouldn't say she was entirely comfortable around them (and definitely nowhere near interested in a friendship) she still managed to drop her guard a little and be equally polite in return. Knowing that Jasper, Emmett and Rose were usually always beside her when she was around them eased matters somewhat. She could tell from the tightness in Jasper's face whenever Alice spoke to her, that he still didn't trust her, but so far there had been no more 'incidents'.

Bella had not only strengthened her relationship with her three vampires (bonding over movie nights, game nights, frequent sleepovers with Rose and 'date' nights with Jasper) but thanks to their years of experience and knowledge (Emmett, she'd been surprised to learn was an absolute whiz at math) she had passed her eleventh year with her highest marks ever. Even earning a spot on the honors roll along with Jasper and Rose, which didn't really surprise her considering they had told her this was their _fifth_ time going through high school. Emmett, who had proved he was intelligent, probably could have been on there as well but he said he found homework tedious (well, actually the exact quote had been, _"lame"_) and refused to do it. No matter how much Rose pestered him.

She even surprised herself by agreeing to go to prom. It was the first school dance (or dance period) that she had ever gone to... one she had almost been talked out of it by a persistent Alice who had taken it upon herself to buy a dress, without Bella's knowledge.

Bella had taken one look at the dress, which she assured her was expensive, and any thought that Alice was starting to warm up to her (which she kinda doubted anyways) immediately disappeared.

Not only was it the most hideous shade of fuchsia she had ever seen (a color that was pretty terrible to begin with), but the cut of it reminded her of something a spinster school marm would wear and it looked at _least_ two sizes too big.

_"You'll look fabulous!" Alice had insisted. _

By the next day, it had 'mysteriously' disappeared (and the twinkle in Emmett's eyes was more pronounced than usual). Rose had offered mock sympathies and told Alice she'd take Bella dress shopping herself, making no effort to be subtle when telling Alice that she was _not_ invited.

She'd had as much fun as a girl who didn't particularly like shopping could; spending the day with a perpetual blush on her face as Rose kept whistling and catcalling with every selection she had tried on (drawing irritated stares from the sour looking sales woman). She knew she had finally found the one when she slipped into a beautiful silk dress the color of emeralds and Rose had fallen silent, a soft smile on her face. Even Nan had agreed it was the one whispering, "Beautiful," as she wiped a tear away.

And Jasper...

She'd remember the look of awe on his face for the rest of her life.

Dancing in his arms that night; she didn't know why she had been so reluctant to go to a school dance before. But when Jasper brushed a soft kiss across her lips and Emmett and Rose grinned from their spot beside them, she'd known. They wouldn't have been there with her.

Even Charlie had noticed the changes in her, commenting on them often. When he realized who was responsible for it, he had given them permission to come over whenever they wanted. There was barely a day when he wouldn't come home to see one of them, or all of them, flaked out on the couch with Bella, or even up in her room.

Unfortunately the one day that it had been just Jasper up there with her had backfired a bit, when Charlie ended up coming home early. Though they had both been fully clothed and on opposite sides of the room the exact moment Charlie had opened her door (Bella had been digging through her dresser for a sweater for a walk the two had planned to go on, while Jasper was standing beside her bookcase flipping through one of her books) it had still resulted in Charlie finding it necessary to give her 'The Talk.'

Thankfully he had given it a few days, conveniently (and unknowingly) waiting for a sunny day when none of the others were around, before cornering her in the kitchen as she sat eating a bowl of cereal.

**-oo-**

The stern set of his shoulders had immediately made her wary and she paused with the spoon half way in her mouth, causing the milk to spill over the edges and dribble down her chin. She finished the motion, only sparing a few half hearted chews before swallowing loudly. Setting the spoon back into the partially empty bowl with a clunk, she wiped at her chin and offered Charlie a tremulous smile.

"Morning, Dad." For some reason, this felt like a dad moment to Bella. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"Took the day off," he answered gruffly.

_'Uh oh.'_ She really hoped this wasn't about the broken (and now kinda, sorta, _hidden_) Singing Bass wall ornament that she had absolutely nothing to do with. Well, at least not entirely. If anything it was Emmett's fault for throwing a book to her and assuming she'd catch it.

_"Good riddance to bad rubbish,"_ Nan had said when it happened. She hated the thing. For some eerie reason, it had always started singing whenever Nan walked by it.

"I didn't do it," she blurted, fully prepared to sell Emmett down the river. _'Sorry, Em.'_

"And I'd prefer for it to stay that way."

Bella's brow furrowed. "Huh?" She pondered her father's words and when the meaning clicked, she choked heavily on her spit. _'He's talking about me and Jasper having...' _She couldn't even finish the sentence, feeling the warmth of a familiar blush spreading over her cheeks. As much as she loved her vamp, and she really, _really_ did, being the blushing virgin that she was (literally) she wasn't quite ready for that step yet.

It also didn't help that the last time they had gotten, um, _close-ish _a misinformed Nan (she hadn't talked to Emmett for three days for that little prank) had unexpectedly popped in. Nothing quite like having your great-grandmother seeing you and your guy half-dressed to cool your libido for a year... or two. Although she could admit it had been a bit hysterical when she jumped off the bed with a screech and Jasper, who obviously couldn't see Nan, had sat there bewildered, lips still puckered.

"Especially when your grandmother is always around to keep an eye on you," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"I said, Nan gave me _the talk_ before she died."

Charlie cleared his throat reproachfully. "Marie gave you the talk when you were _eleven_?"

"Ten, actually." She shifted uncomfortably, flashing back to the moment she'd remember for the rest of her life.

_"Now, Chime, this here represents the male penis." Nan's voice was all business as she wrapped her fingers around a ripened banana. "I had to search all over the kitchen for something that would substitute for lady parts," she continued._

_Bella, speechless, had stared horrified at the sliced avocado._

_"Originally I was going to use a bagel, but it looked more like a-"_

Bella's cheeks burned as she desperately clamped down on the memory and pushed it back into the dusty corner of her mind where it belonged. She watched amused as Charlie fidgeted slightly.

"Yes, well, if you have any questions..."

"I don't."

He nodded, the relief in his face palpable. "Okay. Good." He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Glad we had this talk."

**-oo-**

He didn't seem to have the same reservations with Jasper giving him the equivalent of the _'I own several guns and a shovel'_ speech, letting his threat of, _"I am the chief of the police, remember that son,"_ hang between them for a few long, _extremely_ uncomfortable moments.

Nan, who despite Bella's objections, had watched the whole thing and found it hysterical. Jasper on the other hand had admitted to being a little terrified.

But apparently they had both said all the right things and Charlie, comforted by the assurances that she was still a virgin and the earnest love in Jasper's eyes when he said he had the utmost respect for her, had been convinced enough to allow them to be in her bedroom together, alone... as long as the door was kept open at all times.

The improvement in her mood, added to her stellar grades (and to the fact that he genuinely liked Jasper, Rose and Emmett) had encouraged him to give her free reign over the summertime. Within reason, of course and as long as she wasn't out all night and called and gave him a heads up.

It turned out to be the best summer ever.

Though they had repeated a lot of the same things they did during the school year, it was intercepted with the occasional road trip (they knew all the places that 'came alive' at night) and a few impromptu suggestions of ding dong ditch. (Emmett's idea of course.)

There had also been one particularly memorable night that had involved a western bar, a (_"don't even ask"_) fake ID, several shots of Southern Comfort (ordered solely for the name by a grinning Emmett), a completely demolished mechanical bull (which Emmett, against Rose's wishes, had insisted on trying) and the threat of a lawsuit. She might have been a little buzzed at that point, but she was certain she saw Jasper slip the furious owner a large wad of cash, but he remained mum when she sobered up enough to ask about it the next day.

But the three of them hadn't hesitated to tell her the _other_ things that had happened that night.

**-oo-**

After re-acquainting herself with the toilet the next morning, okay, _early afternoon_ (at the Cullen's house of course, she didn't dare go home in that state) she had wordlessly taken the toothbrush a grinning Rose had handed her and began sloppily scrubbing her teeth, desperate to get the nasty taste out of her mouth.

"I'm neva drin'ing again," she moaned around a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Pity." Rose smirked. "You're quite the hilarious drunk."

Bella groaned and leaned her forehead against the cool surface of the mirror, the toothbrush dangling from her mouth. "Whad di I do?"

"Nothing," Rose replied innocently. "By the way, did I tell you I love your shirt?"

Bella glanced confusedly down at the faded blue tank-top that she wore. While she was thankful that Rose had taken the initiative to change her into the spare clothes she kept in her and Emmett's room for 'just in case' purposes, she really didn't see anything special about it.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a shirt so blue."

_'The hell?' _

Bella knew for a fact that Rose was lying through her teeth. The dress she had worn to prom was an absolutely beautiful shade of electric blue that had highlighted the golden strands of her hair and made her pale skin pop. And last night Jasper's button up shirt had been the most heart-droppingly amazing sapphire color; it had literally made his eyes glow and he looked gorgeous in it. (In fact, she vaguely remembered telling him that he had to wear the color blue for the rest of his life.) Both of them were a hundred times bluer than her shirt. Hell, Jasper's broken in jeans were bluer than the shirt she wore.

Bella spit out the toothpaste and rinsed off her toothbrush. "What are you talking about?" she asked cautiously as she placed it in the holder Rose had bought specifically for her and reached for the small bottle of mouthwash, another special purchase. (Thanks to her three vampires, quite a bit of the Cullen house had been made 'Bella friendly', much to Alice and Edward's consternation.)

"Can't I compliment a friend?"

Bella narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "Considering this friend just spent five minutes throwing up and currently looks like crap," she eyed the mirror pointedly staring at the rat's nest on her head, "than no."

"So negative," Rose sniffed. "I'm going to wait downstairs with the boys. I'll just let you get ready." She turned on her heel, wandering out the door and lowly humming a tune that Bella recognized but couldn't place.

Amusement warring with frustration, Bella tipped back a capful of mouthwash and swished it around in her mouth. As the minty liquid swirled, she found herself humming the same chords that Rose had.

_'Aha!'_ she thought with satisfaction when the song finally clicked. As she began singing the lyrics in her head, a fuzzy memory from last night flashed and Bella promptly spit the greenish liquid on the mirror. _'Oh god... I didn't..'_

All thoughts of her appearance disappeared as she darted out of Rose's bathroom and bumbled her way down the stairs, almost falling when she managed to miss the last two.

"There's my little _Southern_ Belle!" Jasper called out cheekily when she stumbled into the living room. The smile slipped off his lips at the look on her face.

"Please tell me my massive hangover is playing with my mind and that I didn't really embarrass myself singing karaoke in front of a bunch of strangers!" she begged.

Jasper held his hand up to his chest in mock hurt. "You mean I'm _not_ your _Magic Man_?"

"Never seen eyes so _gold_," Emmett crooned lowly in Rose's, who was sprawled on his lap, ear, his voice cracking with amusement at the changed word.

Bella groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "I didn't."

"You did," Emmett countered cheerfully.

"I don't know what you were talking about in the woods that day, Darlin'. You've got a pretty good singing voice. Certainly blew everyone else there out of the water." He turned to Emmett. "Remember that red-head?"

Emmett cringed. "You mean the one who sounded like a dying rabbit?"

Bella stamped her foot. "I'm having a crisis here," she whined.

Jasper set down the book he'd been flipping through and stood up. "I promise you, everyone loved you there, you were a hit," he cooed comfortably, wrapping his arms around her and gently rubbing her back. She snuggled in his embrace. Maybe he was right. "It really wasn't that bad," he continued in the same soft tone, "just _try to understand_."

She jerked away, glaring at his cheeky grin and pushed roughly at his shoulders. "I hate you," she grumbled, turning her nose up and walking out of the room as calmly and with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Hey," Jasper called to her as she was halfway up the steps, "I thought you _couldn't run away_?"

Bella flipped him the finger and stomped the rest of the way up, fighting a grin as their infectious laughter trailed up after her.

**-oo-**

Despite the lingering embarrassment, the raging headache and spending half the night praying to the porcelain gods, in the end it had all been worth it thanks to the new nickname she'd acquired. In reference to the '_Southern Belle'_ comment Jasper had called out that day, she had been Belle to him ever since and it inspired all sorts of warm, gooey feelings in her whenever he used it, almost more than Darlin' did. She'd never tell Nan that it was her new favorite nickname.

Speaking of Nan, as much fun as she was having, she'd feel the guilt settle in when, after days of hanging and crashing with her vamps, she'd _finally_ come back to her place to see Nan smiling at her from the bed.

_"Nan..." she had stuttered the first time it happened. _

_"None of that, Chime," she'd ordered sternly. "What did I tell you were the most important things in life?"_

_"To live, to laugh and to love."_

_"And you get to do all three every day. _**_Never_**_ regret that. This old girl can amuse herself and, at the end of the day, I'll still be here._

Though she had to be reminded that on a weekly basis for the first month, she finally allowed herself to relax and heed her Nan's advice. If she was honest, it would be the first time she had ever followed _any_ of it. She had meant what she said to Jasper in the forest that day; they made her feel more alive than she ever had in her entire life.

She enjoyed it so much, that she was shocked when she finally looked up at her calendar and realized that, not only was school staring in a week, but that her 18th birthday was coming up soon.

She was getting the barest hints of a potential party at that point and though she wasn't the biggest fan of parties, some of the best things in her life this year had happened because she was willing to step outside her comfort zone. So she decided to ignore the secretive whispers her vamps shared and when Esme casually asked what her favorite cake was.

She was actually surprised at Esme's involvement in it. Just like relations hadn't exactly improved with Alice and Edward, there was still a noticeable chill with the elder Cullen's as well, more specifically Carlisle.

A chill that got down right _arctic_ two days before her birthday.

**-oo-**

"Ahem?"

Bella and Jasper looked up when Carlisle cleared his throat loudly to get their attention.

Bella pouted. When Jasper realized that she wasn't cringing away in fear whenever he spoke of his past, he had become relaxed enough to share some of his 'tamer' stories. Today's story involved tar and chicken feathers and Carlisle had cut him off just as he was getting to a good part.

Jasper raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Yes, Carlisle?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to Bella for a minute?"

Bella's pout transformed into a frown. She was sitting right here, would it really have been that difficult to ask her directly?

Jasper must have sensed her anger, running a finger comfortably across her hand.

"Darlin'?" he asked, his eyes telling her she could refuse if she wanted to.

She nodded hesitantly and flashed Carlisle a smile that she hoped didn't look like a grimace.

Jasper leaned in to lightly kiss her cheek, his cool breath rusting her hair as he whispered, "I'll be right outside the door," in her ear.

Leaving the family library (which really could be called 'Jasper's Library' seeing as how he was the only one that actually used it) she trailed behind Carlisle to his personal study, her nerves almost getting the best of her. She cursed that she hadn't insisted on Nan staying with her today. Though Nan had fallen back into the routine of following her to school and occasionally to the Cullen's (like Jasper, she still didn't trust Alice and Edward not to try anything) she'd make the effort to disappear during what she deemed 'Ranger Time' (which was _always_ accompanied by a wink). So, as soon as she was alone with him today (even if it was just in the library), a smirk had stretched her lips and she promised to make herself scarce.

Closing the door behind him (after having a silent conversation with Jasper that Bella imagined was rife with threats) Carlisle gestured for her to sit in the seat in front of his desk while he settled in the one behind it.

His hand folded as he focused an intense (and what he probably thought was paternal) stare on her. "I realize you have become a part of this family and I felt like it was time to have this conversation with you."

Bella shifted uncomfortably. Would it be rude if she told him she didn't consider herself a part of _his_ family, but Jasper's instead?

"I didn't have it with you earlier because I wished to see how this would develop. Jasper, Rose and Emmett have never really attempted to dally with humans in the past like Alice, Edward, Esme or even myself have, and I was concerned that it was something of a 'phase' they were going through."

Bella gritted her teeth, worried if she relaxed her jaw at all, it would gape open. _'A phase? He might as well just call me an experiment.'_

He didn't seem to notice her anger.

"I knew it was serious when Jasper insisted on telling you. But even though he has made excellent progress atoning for his past, he has still led a very different life then the rest of us and I thought that you-"

"You thought I'd reject him?" Bella finished lowly. There was no doubt he could hear the anger now.

His eyes widened with surprise at the venom in her voice. "Well, surely you can understand where I'm coming from. To learn not only that he was a vampire, but that he had-"

"I already know what he's done. He doesn't need _you_ to repeat it."

Carlisle coughed. Obviously he wasn't used to being talked back to. "Well, to learn that all on the same day, any other human would have run away screaming."

Okay, so to tell her that, not only was she a phase, but vaguely suggesting that she was abnormal as well? This guy was on a roll.

"I am happy you didn't," he attempted to recover. "I truly do want the best for my children." His gaze grew stern again. "But with no knowledge of how you may have reacted, he took a very real risk telling you. Yes, it paid off, but it was a risk none the less."

Bella was becoming _very_ uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was taking. "What are you trying to say?"

"You have to understand what you're getting into. You can never tell anyone about this, not your mother, your father or any friends you may have. The repercussions could be-"

The door banged open.

**-oo-**

Jasper refused to let Bella be subjected to another minute of this.

"That's enough!" he barked.

"Son, I was just trying to make her understand..."

"It didn't have to be done that way. You should have discussed this with me beforehand," he spat.

He glared at Carlisle, sending him a mild dose of fear and feeling satisfaction roll through him when he cowered slightly in his seat.

Turning to Bella, he held his hand out. "C'mon, Darlin', let's get you home." Silently leading her down the stairs, he grabbed the jacket that was wordlessly handed to him by a recently returned Rose. She must have heard the tail end of the conversation, because she shot him a smile that was equal parts sympathetic and angry and gave Bella a quick hug goodbye.

Knowing that Charlie was home by now (and he'd be suspicious if he didn't hear a vehicle pull into the yard) Jasper drove her home. Just like he had been doing every night for the past week. Charlie had finally taken Bella's truck in to get that very noticeable dent fixed.

Jasper grinned slightly. At least that's what he told _Bella._

Pulling into her driveway, Jasper shut the engine off and turned towards Bella. Not needing any encouragement, she unbuckled her belt and slid across the seat (he knew he had vetoed the cup holder that divided the seats for a reason-other than the obvious) and into his open arms.

Curling up against him, he could feel the tension drain out of her as his hands reached up to run through her hair.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Belle."

"S'okay," she mumbled.

"No, it's not. He didn't have to tell you that way." He couldn't hide the pain in his voice. Though he and Carlisle had never been that close, it still hurt to hear the thinly veiled insinuations he had about his past.

She pulled back. "Nothing _he_ or _anyone_ says will _ever_ change my opinion of you," she swore fiercely. Leaning up, she brushed her lips against his. "I love you," she murmured against them before pressing harder and deepening the kiss.

As always, a burst of elation rushed through him at those words and as desperate as he was to open his mouth to the soft tongue that was swiping at his lips, there was still more they had to discuss.

Pushing her back gently, he closed his eyes and swallowed loudly at the soft, kitten-like mewl she released in protest.

He waited until dazed chocolate eyes met his.

"He was right you know? About putting you at risk. We, _I_ wanted so badly to tell you, that I don't think we really stopped to consider the consequences. You-"

A warm finger pressing against his lips cut him off.

"I don't care."

"Belle, you can't possibly-"

"I. Don't. Care."

Looking into her eyes, and feeling the resolve emanating from her, he knew she was serious. He didn't know if her reckless regard for it thrilled or scared him.

"There is something I need to know though." Her tone and the look on her face were deadly serious.

"Anything, Darlin'."

A playful gleam entered her eyes. "So how exactly _does_ that story you were telling me end?"

He laughed.

* * *

**_A/N2: I HAD to do a flashback, however brief, to the whole Banana/Avocado conversation. Admit it, how many of you would of loved to be a fly on the wall during that?_**

**_The song Bella and the others are referring to is Magic Man by Heart._ _I thought the idea of Bella, in her drunken state, switching the lyrics from: 'Never seen eyes so BLUE', to GOLD was absolutely hysterical._**


	14. It's My Party & I'll Bleed if I Want To

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**********A/N: This is your birthday song, it isn't very long... HEY!**_

_**********Enjoy! :D**_

_************ADDED NOTE** To the anonymous reviewer (who I doubt even made it this far), I'm sorry you don't think my story is interesting and I completely understand why you don't. Even if I don't appreciate the way you said it. **_

_**********That's why I want to say a very humble thank you to the people who ARE reading my story, and to those who continued reading even after they found out that Dead People, really meant Dead Person. I still feel really bad about my misleading title, and once I have the story completed, I'll probably end up changing it. I was really only trying to reflect the cheeky tone the overall story had, but came to realize as the story progressed that I was a little misguided. Until that happens though, I want to thank you again for your unwavering support. **_

* * *

Bella rolled her eyes but gamely let Jasper tie a blindfold around her head.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Isn't that exactly what Emmett said before he made me take that-" she realized Charlie was still in the room with her "-left turn in that video game when he knew a zombie was around the corner," she finished lamely.

"Video games, right." Charlie's voice was stern, but amused. If he knew what she was going to say, he didn't call her out on it. "Take good care of her," he directed at Jasper instead. "You might have to hold her down, though. I've never seen someone who hated birthdays so much."

"Blame Bobo the Dancing Clown for that," Bella grumbled.

Charlie let out a bark of laughter. "Jesus, I forgot all about that."

Jasper must have looked confused, because Charlie began explaining. "You see, for Bella's fifth birthday, Renee got it in her head to-"

"No," Bella said firmly. "We are _not_ reliving that day ever, **_ever_** again."

"He's mouthing that he'll tell him later, Chime."

"Do that and I swear I'll come home some day with a shaved head and thirty piercings in my face," she warned lowly.

"How'd she know?" Charlie wondered out loud.

"I have eyes in the back of my head."

"You're facing him, Darlin'."

"There too," she replied flippantly.

Charlie chuckled. "Have her back at a decent time, Jasper."

"Yes, sir."

"How many times do I have to tell you? It was fine at first, but the sir thing is starting to make me feel damn old."

"You're as old as you feel, Charlie."

Bella snickered. Oh the irony.

"Then I must be damn ancient," he grumbled as she heard his retreating footsteps. "Have fun, Bella."

"Thanks for the laptop!" She returned.

Bella had been a little concerned at first that Charlie, on the misguided advice of one of his buddies at work, would have bought her a gift certificate (or some other impersonal gift) that she would never find a use for. She'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd opened the (professionally wrapped if the clean lines and sharp corners were anything to go by) gift and was greeted with a brand new Macbook.

_ "For school," he had replied gruffly as she goggled at it, a little staggered by the very expensive price tag. "And so you wouldn't have to put up any longer with that dinosaur computer I have."_

She felt Jasper place a hand on her lower back as he guided her out the front door of her house. He stopped her when she got down the porch stairs and leaned in close. "Your Nan want a ride over?" he whispered.

"Tell Ranger I'll meet you there," Nan called out.

"She said she'll meet us there."

She heard Jasper open the door and squealed when he lifted her directly onto the seat.

"Overkill, don't you think?"

The truck dipped slightly when he climbed in on the other side. "No work whatsoever for the birthday girl," he replied cheerfully, slamming the door.

"Tell that to my teachers."

"You mean the English assignment?"

She was so happy knowing that she shared four of the same classes with Jasper, three with Rose and Emmett and none with Alice and Edward this year. They had deliberately chosen their courses that way. It was going to be a great year.

"Darlin', it's on Wuthering Heights. You could do that in your sleep."

"Where's the sympathy for the birthday girl?" She pouted. Her lips quirked into a grin when Jasper snuck in a quick kiss before starting up his truck.

"Excited?"

"For what?"

"Your party."

She gasped loudly. "You just ruined the surprise!"

"Very funny."

Ten minutes later she felt the truck roll to a stop. Seconds afterwards, her door was opened and cool fingers wrapped around her own and gently pulled her out.

"Making me walk, are you?" She should have known better than to tease, because the next second, Jasper swooped her up into his arms.

She blushed lightly when she heard a second door being opened and he carried her over the threshold like a groom does his bride. She giggled and buried her face in Jasper's shoulder when Rose started humming the wedding march. It was followed by a loud huff which Bella knew without a doubt was Alice.

_'Not going to let it bother me,'_ she decided as Jasper placed her on her feet.

The blindfold was removed and Bella's eyes widened as she took in the green and white streamers and matching balloons that decorated the living room.

"SURPRISE!" The greeting was genuine and cheerful from Rose and Esme, but more subdued from Carlisle and downright sullen on Alice and Edward's parts.

She noticed that a familiar booming voice was missing.

She frowned. "Where's Em?"

"We realized we forgot the ice cream," Rose answered slyly, walking up to Bella and wrapping her arms around her. "Happy Birthday, Bella," she said with a small grin.

Bell returned the hug, smiling widely when she spotted Nan in the corner.

Nan pointed up at the streamers. "_She_ was arguing about them not being pink right before you got here."

No question who _she _was.

Bella peeked over Rose's shoulder and noticed Alice and Esme were missing from the room.

"Thank you for not making it pink," she whispered in Rose's ear. Rose pulled back wide-eyed with surprise before comprehension dawned on her face.

"As if I would make you suffer through pinkstrosity on your birthday."

Another angry huff. Alice was back.

Esme, who had placed an admittedly delicious looking chocolate cake on the low table, sans candles (Jasper had been amused when she insisted against them. She said it was her own quirky way of looking out for her vampires) crossed the room to offer a soft happy birthday. She looked like she was going to hug her as well, but probably got the sense that Bella wasn't a hundred percent sure how receptive she'd be to it. She settled for awkwardly patting her shoulder instead.

Carlisle was next, flicking an uneasy look in Jasper's direction first and she nodded, leaning into Jasper in an attempt to quiet her rapidly growing anger as his presence brought to mind the conversation they'd had.

Though Jasper had promised not to use her gift on her (stating that he wanted everything in their lives to be real and not merely manufactured) he must have sensed she'd be receptive to it, because almost immediately she felt calm spread through her.

"Thank you," she sighed, which she let Carlisle believe was directed towards him.

She felt Jasper tense when Edward wandered over from where he was lurking by the window and offered his own birthday greetings.

Until that day, she was (blissfully) unaware that the words 'happy' and 'birthday' could sound that creepy together.

Thankfully she was saved from Edweird's stalker stare by Emmett bouncing into the living room seconds later singing Happy Birthday at the top of his lungs.

He swept her up into his arms and twirled her around.

"How does it feel to be practically over the hill now?" he asked, setting her back down on the ground.

"Why don't you tell me? You're practically ancient."

Emmett licked his finger and slicked it suavely over his eyebrow. "You're just jealous. I look damn good for my age."

Couldn't argue with that, could she?

"Present time!" he decided suddenly, throwing a grin at Rose who walked over to the shelf over the fireplace and returned with a card and a small green box.

Bella grinned when she glanced down at the homemade card. On it where four crayon stick figures under the bright red 'Happy Birthday' letters. Three of them had over-exaggerated vampire fangs and golden eyes (it wasn't hard to guess which one was Rose, even without the long scribbles of blonde hair, the two overly large circles drawn over the chest area gave it away and blew away any confusion over who drew it) and the one in the middle was her.

Flipping it open the grin turned into a laugh when she read the message inside.

**HOPE IT DOESN'T... _SUCK_!**

The word _suck_ was twice as big as the rest of the sentence and underlined twice. (As if she really needed the extra emphasis to get what Emmett was saying.) Passing the card to Jasper for safe keeping, she eyed the small box, hoping that it wasn't too extravagant. (She was no fool. She was well aware that these people had more money than most could ever dream of having.) Bella opened it and frowned. Pulling out the small objects, she dangled them from her fingers and looked at Rose perplexed as the light caught the small, silver swan key ring.

"Umm... aren't these the keys to my truck?" The same truck that, just last week, Charlie claimed he was _finally_ getting fixed. She was suspicious now.

Rose grinned; she knew exactly what Bella was thinking. "I might have gotten him to tell a little white lie."

Emmett laughed. "Charlie would have just as easily told you it was stolen if Rosie asked him too."

It was true. Bella had seen tough, stoic Charlie turn into a stuttering, blushing, gooey mess whenever Rose was in the near vicinity. Although eying the light blue dress Rose was wearing and how nicely it framed the girls, who could blame him?

"What did you do to Bob?" Otherwise known as 'bucket of bolts'. Hey, Nan wasn't the only one capable of clever nicknames.

Rose took her hand and lead Bella over to the large picture window.

"I restored that truck to its former glory."

Bella's eyes widened. That couldn't possibly be her truck; it looked like it just rolled off the assembly line. The rusted red paint had been replaced with a gleaming green similar to the color her prom dress had been. A ray of sun broke through the copse of trees surrounding the driveway and lit up her truck, causing the coat of paint to literally sparkle like thousands of diamonds had been mixed into it. It was almost the same effect that her vampire's skin had.

"It's not just the outside I shined up either," Rose explained. "I replaced all the parts on the inside too and now you won't have to worry about it rattling apart or stalling if you try to take it above fifty." There was a gleam in Rose's eyes as she gleefully rattled off all the parts that she had replaced, seemingly forgetting that Bella probably only knew what two of them even were. "And with the new V8 engine I installed you'll be able to top 120, easy."

"You do realize that my dad _is_ the Chief of Police?" Bella commented dryly.

Rose nodded, a wicked grin on her face. "Exactly. Means you'll be able to get away with it a lot easier."

Heavy hands come to rest on her shoulder, the reflection in the glass telling her it was Emmett. "I also took the liberty of installing a new sound system, plus I had a little something extra made for you. You'll find out when you take it home."

Bella blinked back the tears. "This is too much," she insisted.

Rose stepped up on her other side, caging Bella in her and Emmett's embrace. "No, it's just enough."

The moment was broken when Carlisle cleared his throat loudly behind her.

_'He's really making a habit of that,'_ Bella thought irritably as she turned.

"Esme and I got you a little something as well." He handed her a flat, white envelope.

Bella looked at it hesitantly. It looked like it was just a card, but something told her that's not all it was. She shifted her eyes up to Jasper, who appeared to be fighting a frown. Looked like he didn't know anything about it either.

"Thank you," she replied, slowly sliding her fingers under the seams of the flap.

"Think he licked it?" Nan quipped in the background.

Bella had to hold back a slightly hysterical bark of laughter. Jasper had told her it took copious amounts of venom to begin the change, but not wanting to risk the chance (even for such a minuscule amount) Bella removed her fingers and began methodically peeling back the paper instead.

She pulled the card out, a little overwhelmed by the glittery foil on the front. Was it possible for a card to look expensive? She took the time to note that she had appreciated Emmett's poorly attempted card (big boobs and all) more than this Hallmark monstrosity. Ten bucks said Alice picked it out.

She opened the card, but was unable to read the generic (and undoubtedly cheesy) message inside. All she could see was the check that was as crisp and pristine as the day it was torn from the check book. The Cullen crest was at one corner and if it wasn't bad enough that it was made out to _Isabella_ Swan, then the amount certainly was.

_'A ten thousand dollar birthday present?'_ she thought incredulously. _'This is seriously a 'little something' to him?'_

She shook her head. "I can't accept this." When what she really wanted to say is, _'I won't'. _To get this days after Carlisle had made it clear how important the 'family secret' was, made it feel like hush money. Just looking at it made her feel dirty.

"Nonsense. I give all the members of my family similar checks on their birthdays." Esme nodded encouragingly behind him.

This was the second time he mentioned being part of his family, but she didn't feel that way at all. Not with _his_ family at least. This was another thing she desperately wanted to say, but stuck with shaking her head instead and repeating herself with a strained smile. She gingerly removed the check from the card, she would keep that at least to show that she appreciated the effort (even if part of her didn't), and held it out as a reluctant Carlisle took a step forwards.

He was intercepted by an angry Alice darting in front of him.

"You are so ungrateful," she sneered.

She roughly snatched the check out of her hand, causing it to glide cruelly across her palm. Bella gasped at the slight pain and at the satisfaction that flashed briefly through Alice's eyes and at that moment she realized why Alice had been so sickly sweet to her since the baseball field. She had been biding her time.

He eyes fell to her stinging palm just in time to watch a miniscule drop of blood well up from the shallow, two-inch paper cut. It wasn't a lot, not even enough to really necessitate a band-aid if she didn't feel like it, but when you're in a room full of vampires, not enough becomes _just enough_. Especially for one that's been gunning for a taste of you since day one.

"Chime!" Bella's eyes closed in pained defeat.

_To late, Nan. I know._

"Van," she yelped stupidly, seconds before a hungry growl rumbled through the air.

Things happened rapidly after that.

A snarling Jasper darted protectively in front of her and Carlisle, ever the mediator, stepped in front of Edward, his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Now calm down, son. We..."

"MINE!" Edward's roar shook the house.

"Emmett!" Jasper barked and seconds later Bella felt the wind whipping through her hair as she sat safely encased in Emmett's powerful arms.

The last sound she heard was the loud crack of two bodies colliding.

**-oo-**

Bella blankly watched Emmett pace the bedroom. Thank god Charlie wasn't here, his heavy footsteps were in serious danger of cracking her floor. Every few minutes he'd pause and turn to her like he had something to say before clacking his mouth shut and resuming his pacing.

It had now been fifteen minutes since the left the house. Fifteen agonizing minutes where she worried about Jasper and he worried about Rose.

She jerked when Nan suddenly appeared in the room. "Nan!"

Ignoring Emmett's startled look, she jumped from her bed and stumbled towards her. "Where were you?" she demanded. "You weren't here and I was so worried and... why weren't you here?!"

"I stayed behind to watch out for Ranger and Star," she explained, running a hand soothingly through Bella's hair.

Despite the situation, Bella felt the urge to chuckle when she saw Emmett's mystified gaze fixed firmly on her moving hair, still not used to the fact that Nan could touch her, even after all these months.

"Are they...?"

"They're fine. They should be here in a few minutes."

Bella's shoulders slumped. "She said they're fine," she informed a frantic Emmett. "And they're coming as we speak."

"What happened?" Emmett asked the empty air.

"It was a lot less brutal than the last fight. Ranger had that boy subdued within seconds." Nan smirked. "And ended up ripping off his arm in the process. Star attacked the girl and ended up tearing out a fistful of her hair. The screams... God Lord, if I wasn't already dead, it would have burst my eardrums."

Bella relayed this to Emmett who chuckled.

"That's my Rosie."

"They were being taken out to hunt right before I left."

Bella rushed over to the window when she heard the approaching engine and the gravel crunch in her driveway. Jasper and Rose had driven her truck home. She saw the doors swing open and slam shut before two figures darted from her driveway and were bursting through her bedroom door seconds later. She hadn't even heard their feet hit the stairs.

One threw themselves into Emmett's open arms and Bella mimicked the action with the other figure.

"Jasper," she murmured into his neck. "I don't know how many more moments my frail human sensibilities can take."

He chuckled lightly. "You won't have to go through that again."

She pulled back. "But Nan said you just hurt him."

There was a dark look on his face. "I didn't kill him," he agreed, sounding strangely angry about it. "But I did make him well aware of what would happen to him if he so much as blinked in your direction again."

Scanning her eyes over his face, she could see the fierce protectiveness burning in his eyes, but also the sadness he was trying to hide.

"What did they say to you?"

His eyes widened with shock before he averted them. "It was nothing, Darlin'."

Rose tore herself away from Emmett. "Please don't tell me you actually believed what that bitch said?!"

"What who said?" Bella demanded.

Jasper's eyes were still downcast and it was Rose who answered. "Alice... she called him a monster."

Bella gasped angrily. "No." She cupped her hands around Jasper's cheeks and forced him to meet her eyes. "No," she repeated firmly. "You better listen to Rose, Jasper Whitlock, or I'll be forced to smack you."

Jasper's lips quirked slightly. "It'll probably break your hand."

"Which is all the more reason to listen to what I say. She's the monster, Jas. Edward's the monster. But you? You're the hero."

Emmett coughed. "We'll just give you two a moment. C'mon, Nan," he called out gamely as he guided Rose out the door. "Let's leave these two love birds alone."

Nan chuckled and disappeared.

**-oo-**

Jasper settled down onto her bed, pulling Bella down on his lap and burying his face in her neck. He breathed in her comforting scent, letting the lingering tension drain from him as she raised her hand and began running her fingers through his hair.

"I wanted to kill him, you know," he admitted softly.

Her fingers paused in his hair before resuming their soothing motions, silently encouraging him to continue.

All he remembers is the venom roaring in his ears, the red that overtook his vision.

It had taken Rose speaking one single word- his name- before he finally came back to himself. Edward's left arm, still clad in the dark grey sleeve of his sweater, was clutched tightly in his hand and bald faced horror and the faintest flickering of disgust was on four of the other five faces in the room.

Esme was coddling a hysterical Alice who was sporting a brand new bald spot on her head, courtesy of Rose if the smirk on her face and the clump of black hair at her feet was anything to go by.

Carlisle had once again stepped between him and Edward who, now that the mindless hunger had vanished and his eyes had turned back to a pained gold, was cowering behind him in fear.

"Give me his arm, Jasper," he ordered. His posture was as authoritative as his tone, but there was fear tainting his emotions.

_'What happened to son?'_ Jasper thought bitterly. "He was warned, Carlisle," he spat as he threw the arm to the ground at Carlisle's feet.

He supposed it was his own fault for not making his words to Edward as... severe as he had Alice's. A simple _'keep your distance'_ had seemed to do the job and up until that day other then occasionally staring at her long enough to get a warning glare from Jasper, Edward had normally went out of his way to avoid Bella. That added to the fact that he had never really considered Edward to be much of a threat (despite the advantages his gift gave him, he was a rather piss-poor fighter), foolishly lulled him into a false sense of security. And because of that, he was just as much to blame for the danger he had put his mate in. He would never make that mistake again.

Carlisle bent to retrieve Edward's arm. "It didn't need to-"

Jasper scowled. It was the baseball field all over again. "This diplomatic bullshit act is really getting tired, Carlisle. You know exactly what he would have done. She's his singer for chrissakes!"

"Edward has always had excellent control."

Jasper let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Is that what happened? Was that Edward in _control_?"

"You could have used your gift to stop him. You didn't have to rip his arm off."

"My _mate_ was being attacked," Jasper seethed, before deciding to go for the jugular to get his point across. "And if you're this flippant about a vampire's mate, than I truly feel sorry for Esme."

Carlisle stiffened. "We're going to take Edward out to hunt, and then we're going to run up north for a few days. Perhaps that will give us all time to cool down and think over things."

"I don't need to think over anything," Jasper replied coolly. "If he even looks at her wrong again, I won't be as nice."

"Nice?!" Alice shrieked. "You call this nice? What the hell is this girl doing to you? You've never attacked one of us before, _never_. She's turned you into a monster!"

"Unless you want to be bald, bitch, I suggest you shut your mouth!" Rose snapped.

Jasper squared his shoulders, determined to not let Alice see how much that one word had hurt him. "Turned me into one?" he replied darkly. "You forget my history, Alice."

"Jasper, no," Rose murmured, squeezing his arm in support.

"Forget?" Alice laughed cruelly. "As if I could forget-"

She was cut off by a hand clamping over her mouth, as Esme exerted a small amount of control over the situation for possibly the first time ever.

"No more," she warned Alice, holding her tightly to her body when she began struggling in her embrace. There was still horror (mixed with a hint of resignation) in her emotions when she nodded sharply at Jasper and despite the vaguely united front she had shown him, he knew it was time to leave.

"Let's go, Carlisle," she said, grabbing Edward's remaining arm and firmly guiding him and Alice out the sliding glass doors behind them.

"We'll be back in two days." Carlisle didn't even bother to turn around to deliver his departing news.

Jasper and Rose stood silently as they watched him dart out of sight. With him, Jasper could feel the final bonds that tied him to the rest of the Cullen's snapping completely. He raised his hand to his chest, feeling a brief moment of melancholy at the sudden absence of a bond (no matter how weak) that had been with him for over half a century.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rose mimic the motion. "Just like that," she murmured.

_'Just like that,'_ Jasper echoed. He dropped his hand. "Let's get back to our mates. They're probably working themselves into a panic by now." There was a faint shadow of a smile on his lips.

"Not just mates," Rose replied earnestly. "Family."

_'Yes,'_ Jasper agreed, _'the only family I'll ever truly need.'_

**-oo-**

He exhaled shakily as he finished his recap. "And I probably would have if Rose hadn't stopped me."

"Well, I'm your mate. That sort of thing is instinctual right?"

His Belle really was amazing. She had taken the mating news as casually as she had the vampire news.

_"Mate?" He tensed as he watched her roll the word around in her head. "What does that mean exactly?"_

_"I could go into the unnecessarily complicated vampire explanation, but basically it means that you are mine and I am yours."_

_"Soulmates?" she asked._

_He nodded._

_She grinned. "Pfft... I could've told you **that**."_

"It is," he agreed.

If Rose had been the one attacked (or vice versa) Emmett would have done the same thing. Because of Carlisle's actions tonight, he was seriously beginning to question if it applied to him and Esme as well. He wouldn't be surprised if it proved to be untrue, their bond had never been as strong as the one Rose and Emmett shared. He often wondered if Esme's affection for Carlisle was heavily influenced by the Maker bond. It was the same reason he had mistaken the emotions he had felt for his own bitch Maker during the Wars.

But he didn't really want to rehash that part of his life, not now and hopefully not ever. This night had already been bad enough.

Bella seemed to be in the same frame of mind. "Then there will be no more of this monster talk. Ever. Again." She punctuated each of her final words with a sweet kiss to his lips.

"Agreed," he purred, allowing the teasing warmth of her lips to soothe the ache that Alice's words had left for a few long moments.

Pulling back slightly, he shifted them so he could lean against the headboard of her bed and pulled a small, thin box from the pocket of his rumpled shirt. "Didn't get a chance to give this to you at the house. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

**-oo-**

Bella turned the silver box over in her hand, noting that it was dented slightly.

"Thankfully, that was all the damage it sustained in the fight. Open it," he prodded.

She pulled off the crumpled (and obviously retied) ribbon and gasped lightly at the object in it. It was a silver bracelet with several different charms dangling from it. She removed it and spread it out on her palm, fingering each individual charm-a bell, a cowboy hat, a star, a dog and a sun- and silently naming each person they represented.

"I had it specially made. I know other than your necklace you usually don't like wearing jewellery, but I thought... do you like it?" he asked warily.

"I love it," she replied softly, blinking away the tears forming in her eyes and holding it out to him. "Will you put it on me?"

He reached over and fastened it on her wrist, placing a kiss on the exposed skin above it.

Even though they were essentially alone (she had distantly heard the front door shut) and it _was_ her birthday, Bella felt that after the mess today this was a time for comfort, not for passion. So despite the tingling sensation that shot up her arm when he brushed his cool lips against her skin, she steadfastly ignored the urges that came with it and flopped down on the bed, pulling him down to lay beside her.

She had no doubt he could feel her desires though and felt guilt sweep through her. "Soon," she promised, tracing the features of his face.

He kissed her fingers when they reached his lips. "I'd wait for you forever," he promised.

Forever.

She liked the sound of that.

* * *

**_A/N: Man... chapter got all serious again. *Sigh* At this point I wanna smear makeup all over my face and scream, "WHY SO SERIOUS?!" at the screen._ **

**_If it wasn't already obvious, I know absolutely nothing about cars... trucks... whatever (I'm lucky I can fill my tank up without requiring some sort of instruction manual) so cut me some slack. But, if it's SO wrong that I sound like a complete idiot, than please, correct me. _**

**_And before anyone asks, I have no specific reason for making Carlisle such an oblivious asswipe... other than, *shrug* seemed like a good idea at the time._**


	15. Please Don't Leave Me

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********_A/N: I'm late, I know. Thanks to certain... complications, I wasn't able to step anywhere near a computer for pretty much the last two weeks and because of the same... complications my creativity took a HARD nosedive._ _We're talking Hindenburg. It was like my entire mind crashed and burned and I seriously did not know what to do with myself. It was some pretty unnerving territory there for a while._**

**********_My woe-is-me spiel aside, here is the no doubt long awaited next chapter. Oh, and by the by, I realized I'm technically in New Moon territory right right now, so I thought I'd let you know that, like the wolves, the Volturi WON'T be featured. I'm not saying that don't exist, merely that they have better things to do then get involved in the Cullen's petty squabbles. _ **

**********_PS- I seriously debated about whether or not to change my story to an M-rating for this chapter. It doesn't get overly dirty or anything, but it does get a bit *cough* steamy. So I figured I'd give you guys a bit of a warning before you sta_rted _reading. So, WARNING: SLIGHTLY SAUCY TIMES AHEAD! ;)_**

* * *

Jasper released her hand the moment they broke through the bushes surrounding their little hidden clearing. He hesitated for a brief second before turning to face her. From the look he gave her, Bella knew he didn't bring her here to share good news.

"The Cullen's got back today and, after what happened on your birthday, the others and I have talked it over and decided it would be for the best if we left town." His voice was monotone throughout the entire thing.

Her heart stopped. "What?" She was certain she misheard him.

"We're a danger to you, Bella," he paused, "and you're a danger to us."

"But you wouldn't hurt me! You can't!"

He shook his head. "I don't know that for certain anymore. I was tempted by your blood that day. I _wanted_ it, Bella. More than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. I haven't had a slip in years and I can't live with the constant worry of whether or not you'll bleed in the future." He sneered, his next words cutting her like a knife. "And we both know it'll happen. You're so damn clumsy."

"Then change me! You won't have to worry anymore and we can be together!" she begged.

Jasper sighed in exasperation. "You're not listening. I wanted your blood more than anything." Hard gold eyes burned through her. "Even you."

Her bottom lip wobbled. "What are you saying?"

"I think it's your blood I've desired this whole time. It's never been you."

"You can't mean that!"

"I do," he stated firmly. "Emmett and Rose expressed the same concerns. We'll be leaving in a few hours, don't bother coming over to say goodbye." He turned to leave. "Just forget us Bella, because we'll be doing the same."

She lurched forward and desperately grabbed his arm. "But I love you," she choked out.

He shook her off. "Forget that too."

"Jasper, please don't leave me!" she screamed as he disappeared into the brush. She sank to the ground, pulling at the strands of her hair. "Jasper!" she wailed.

_"Jasper... Jasper..."_

**-oo-**

"Jasper!"

"Belle, wake up Darlin'!"

Bella jerked up in bed, wildly looking around the room. It took a second for her brain to process her surroundings before she finally realized she was in Jasper's bedroom. More specifically, in his bed.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned and pressed her face into the cool, naked chest of the man beside her. She shuddered as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her similarly naked body against him.

He was still here, it was just a dream.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, running a hand soothingly through her hair.

"Bad dreams," she mumbled as the tears tapered off.

"About?"

She shook her head, unintentionally smearing the wetness from her tears across the broad expanse of his chest. "It's not important."

The room was silent for a few long moments. "You sure?"

"Mmhm.."

"Then try to get some more sleep, Darlin'." She felt him shift his head towards the heavy curtains where the weak sunlight was just starting to peek through. "It's still early."

"Alright," she agreed easily, feeling a little drained from the dream.

He twisted over on his back and maneuvered Bella until her head was resting over his unbeating heart. "Jasper?" she whispered, tracing a nonsensical pattern on his chest.

"Mmm?" he purred, the rumble jostling her head pleasantly.

She craned her neck up and met his eyes which were glowing in the dim light. "You won't ever leave me, will you?"

"Never," he swore ardently.

"Good," she sighed, placing her head back on his chest. As his arms curled around her, Bella closed her eyes and to assuage her fears, as she drifted off, she replayed how the conversation had _really_ went.

**-oo-**

"I've never been on a picnic before." They were in a different part of the area that had long ago been claimed as their own, nearer to the cliffs edge and overlooking the wooded valley bellow. Over her shoulder she could see the shoddy cabin that Emmett had fixed up in the distance. When Jasper had shown up at her door with a basket in one hand and a blanket in the other she had felt a rare sort of giddy excitement.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow and leaned back on his hands on the thick blue blanket beneath them. "Really? Never? No teenage boy has attempted to sweep you off your feet with a romantic gesture such as this?"

Bella snorted. "Clearly you're giving way to much credit to teenagers of the male persuasion. I'm pretty sure romantic gestures nowadays consist of liking a girl's status on Facebook. You sir," she toasted her glass of raspberry lemonade in his direction, "are a rare breed."

The smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

She drained the rest of the fizzy drink and placed the glass beside the old-fashioned wicker basket that Jasper (more likely Rose) had managed to scrounge up. "What is it?" she asked, reaching for a strawberry and hoping that the movement would distract from the tremble in her hand.

He looked out pensively over the valley of trees below them, the late afternoon sunlight causing his handsome features to sparkle subtlety. "The Cullen's got back today."

That would explain being woken up by his cell phone ringing at three in the morning after an impromptu decision to crash at her house for the night (Charlie of course being completely unaware). She only vaguely remembered the hushed conversation that had followed, thanks to her drowsy state. But she did recall Jasper brushing a kiss across her forehead and whispering that he would see her later. After almost half a day of waiting (thankfully having the day off thanks to a teachers meeting), later had turned out to be this picnic he had surprised her with.

"And?" she prodded, lifting the sweet red fruit to her lips.

"We talked. It didn't... it didn't go well."

"How well is not well?" she asked, biting off a piece and chewing slowly. She wondered if Edward had lost another limb. "Is everyone okay?" And by everyone she meant him, Rose and Emmett.

"We're fine. Things were thrown and a window was broken (she would later find out that the thing thrown was Edward... through the window) but we all escaped with our parts intact." Maybe it was just her, but he sounded almost disappointed about that.

She swallowed and popped the rest of the strawberry in her mouth.

"They've decided to leave. For good."

She choked on the half-chewed morsel. "You're leaving?" she gasped, wiping her juice stained fingers on her faded jeans and staring down hatefully at the food spread out before her. The sweetness of the moment was ruined with the realization that he had probably only planned all this to soften the blow.

_'Didn't work,'_ she thought bitterly, wiping angrily at the tears trailing down her cheeks.

"What?! No!" Jasper barked, his reply echoing through the glen below them.

Bella loudly exhaled the breath she had even realized she was holding and collapsed backwards on the blanket, blatant relief calming her racing heart. "Thank god," she muttered. "Don't ever do that to me again."

The weak sunlight overhead was blocked out when Jasper leaned over her, his eyes pained. "How could you even think we'd do that?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered meekly. "It's just... you've been with them for so long, I thought..." The fabric underneath her bunched when she shrugged her shoulders.

He sighed and shifted away, leaning his weight against one hand. "This is probably our fault for not doing more to assure you." He met her eyes steadily. "We can't leave you, Bella. We won't."

"The mating bond," she said flatly before turning her head away. "I don't want you to feel like you're forced to stay here."

She heard Jasper let out a surprised cough before she felt him shift to stretch out beside her. A pale hand grasped her cheek and gently forced her gaze back to him. "Please tell me you don't think that's what keeps me here, what keeps us here?"

She lowered her eyes.

"I can't deny that the bond is a part of why I'm choosing to stay. Only _one_ of the _many_ reasons," he clarified when she struggled to turn away. "But if I really didn't want any part of it and that's all it was, than I could simply ignore it. I'm not saying it'd be easy, in fact it'd hurt like hell, but I'm one of the few vampires that could do it considering I spent sixty years repressing a large part of myself."

"So you're saying you'd leave if you could?"

Jasper growled. "Seriously, you have the worst case of selective hearing _ever_. I'm staying because I _love_ you. Rose and Emmett are staying because they _love_ you. We stayed with the Cullen's because we felt like we had to and for the first time ever, we're finally going to stay because we _want_ to." He paused thoughtfully. "And to be honest, more than anything, it feels like a weight has been lifted."

"What about the house?" she asked curiously.

He grimaced. "That led to another lengthy argument, so the three of us settled it the easy way."

"Violence?"

Jasper chuckled. "No, we bought it."

Bella gaped at him. "You're serious?" It was a bit daunting to know that a bunch of teenagers could just up and buy a house if they felt like it. She had to remind herself that these weren't simply just a group of teenagers and that this purchase was probably little more than a drop in a well to them.

"Yes," he replied simply, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world. "And now you're stuck with us. Think you can handle that?" A serious look accompanied the question before melting into a teasing grin.

"I think I can manage," Bella sighed, cuddling up to his side. He stretched an arm underneath her and curled her closer until her face was buried in his neck. "I'm sorry," she murmured into his skin. "I guess I couldn't help but think about everything you're giving up for me."

He shifted his head to look at her, their faces only inches apart. "Funny, I'm thinking of everything I've gained."

He trailed his hand up the arm that was slung across his chest and cupped the back of her neck. Closing the distance between them, he sucked gently on her bottom lip before covering her mouth fully with his own. His tongue flicked over the seam of her lips, asking for entrance that she was all too willing to grant. He flipped them until he was sprawled out on top of her, supporting the majority of his weight on the arms on either side of her, and deepened the kiss.

One of his hands left her side and began tracking the dips and curves over her body, paying special attention to the nipples that suddenly pebbled underneath her thin sweater. Bella pushed him away with a gasp when the sensations became too much.

"Jasper?" she panted against his moist lips.

"Mmm?" he rumbled, nuzzling his face into her neck and lapping gently at her pulse point- an action he knew for a fact drove her wild.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed him closer as his tongue was replaced by the gently nibbling of his teeth. She had always secretly thought that encouraging this action, from a _vampire_ of all things, was definite proof that she had a few screws loose in her head. But fear had never factored into it for a single second. There was nowhere she felt safer than in his arms.

Shaking her head to clear the fog from her mind and remember what she was going to say, she tugged at his hair until his head rose, only to get lost once again in golden eyes swirling with love and heavy lidded with lust.

Seeing the exact mirror of her own emotions reflected back at her, she swallowed loudly and steeled her resolve.

"Jasper," she repeated, tightening her grip on his hair when he attempted to lower his head and kiss her again. A faintly disgruntled look crossed his face and she found herself grinning when his lower lip poked out in a pout. She exhaled shakily through her nose and despite the absolute conviction of her next words; they left her lips in a tone only slightly higher than a whisper.

"I'm ready."

**-oo-**

Bella chuckled as she woke, the memory of what had followed thrumming pleasantly through her body. She stretched out lazily on Jasper's soft cotton sheets, luxuriating in the sensations of her body aching in all the right places.

Once Jasper had shaken off his stunned expression, spending the next five minutes making absolutely certain that she was sure and hadn't simply misspoken in the heat of the moment, it had only been the chill in the cool fall air that had stopped him from taking her right there on the rumpled picnic blanket.

Speaking of the blanket, she was quite certain it was still out there, the dishes of food either frozen from the overnight frost or well on their way to being spoiled. Apparently Bella now had the tools at her disposal to render a vampire forgetful. She grinned wickedly. And it was one she planned to use as often as possible.

The first time had been a blur of heightened emotions and sensations, pain not even registering amidst the absolute pleasure of being fully connected to him. When he had eased into her, doing his best to be as gentle as possible, it was as if time stopped and everything snapped into place. They were no longer Bella and Jasper in that moment, but a single entity. And it was ecstasy.

They took their time the second and third time around (the frenetic pace lost, but not the emotions that went with it) mapping the contours of their partner's bodies and branding every inch of available skin with their hands and mouths.

She didn't know why she waited so long. If she knew this was what awaited her, she would have happily stripped down the first time he kissed her. She had a feeling though that it had been the wait, the time they took to truly form a connection and solidify it that had made it into something special. Something amazing.

Her head twisted towards the partially cracked door when she heard a muffled crash followed by a booming curse and naturally guessed that Emmett had dropped something in the kitchen where Jasper (the most perfect boyfriend _EVER_) was currently cooking her breakfast.

Sliding off the bed she ignored the shirt that was draped at the foot of it and, with a sudden burst of confidence, plodded naked towards the bathroom intending to take a quick shower.

'_Damn vampires have it lucky,'_ she thought as she tied her hair up in a loose bun after twisting on the taps. _'Don't have to worry about gross stuff like sticky sweat and body odor.' _

She yelped as she stepped under the cool spray, reaching out to adjust the water to a slightly warmer setting. Soaping up her body with Jasper's body wash, she pouted at his absence. She had done her best to cajole him into taking a shower with her, but he had resisted (although she could tell he was really reluctant to do so) in order to give her frail human body a chance to recuperate.

Okay, so he didn't say it quite like that, but the implication was definitely there. And yes, maybe he was kind of right. Certain muscles did twinge a bit more than they normally did, but she blamed that solely on inactivity- something that could have been easily remedied if he joined her in the shower.

_'Maybe I should look into a yoga class,'_ she mused as she rinsed off. _'Couldn't hurt to be more flexible.'_ She looked forward to trying to explain that decision to Nan if she ever went through with it.

Stepping out of the shower, she dried off with an overly large towel and deposited the damp fabric in the hamper by the door. Before leaving the bathroom, she found herself pausing to inspect herself in the mirror. She had heard people say that they looked different after the first time -older, more mature- and while she could officially proclaim that a load of BS, she did admit that there were subtle changes. Her eyes sparkled with a new-found awareness and her skin glowed like it was lit up from the inside. She immediately realized what the true difference was; she was happy, truly and completely.

Shooting her reflection a toothy smile, she flicked off the light and headed towards the dresser located against the opposite side of the room, reaching for the top set of drawers that had been deemed 'Bella's' since summer time.

Deciding that since it was the weekend, it was officially going to be a lazy day for her to simply sit around and enjoy some uninterrupted time with her family. (Charlie had come to terms a long time ago that weekends were Jasper, Rose and Emmett time.) She slipped a pair of loose yoga pants up her legs, feeling a naughty thrill at forgoing her panties underneath them.

She hooked her arms through her bra (she wasn't feeling quite that free) next. It was plain, pretty much like all of her undergarments (she had never been much of a Victoria's secret girl- though Rose was steadfastly trying to change that) but the dark green shade of it reminded her a lot of the shirt she had glimpsed Jasper wearing her first day at Forks High. Over that she pulled on her faded Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt and released her hair from its sloppy bun. After giving it a few cursory swipes with the hairbrush that had been lying on top of the dresser, she declared herself ready for the day.

As her bare feet slapped down on the cool wooden floor, Bella found herself hesitating as her hand curled around the brass door knob. Things were worked out with Jasper, but she was a little concerned (despite his reassurances) that with the Cullen's gone -for good this time- that it would somehow change the dynamic between the four of them.

Emmett must of heard her pulling open the door because he suddenly yelled (presumably from the kitchen), "Bella, get your overly sexed up ass down here! Breakfast is getting cold!"

Jasper's amused voice floated up next. "Why do you care? It's not like you cooked it."

"I helped."

He snorted. "Pouring the juice barely counts."

"Especially considering you broke the first glass of it and we had to clean it up," Rose chimed in.

A grin split Bella's face as she bounced down the stairs.

Nope, everything was blissfully still the same.

**-oo-**

It hadn't been the same since the weekend.

Jasper perched on Bella's window sill, silently taking stock of the house. In the upper level he could make out Bella's steady heart beat (he was guessing she was in the bathroom since she obviously wasn't in her room) but the downstairs was quiet and judging by the lack of a police cruiser in the driveway, Charlie wasn't home yet.

Thinking of Charlie caused a ghost of a smile to cross Jasper's pale lips. He had been surprisingly understanding when, after that weekend (and perhaps somewhat belatedly) he had learned from Bella that the Cullen's had skipped town citing a 'family emergency'.

It had eventually lead to a terse phone call later that night and Jasper, who felt just as bad lying to him as he did Bella, had not told him the whole story (for obvious reasons) but did allude to the rift in their family unit which culminated with his, Rose and Emmett's decision to stay behind in Forks to finish out their school year. (Though it was never spoken outright, Jasper suspected that Charlie knew that his daughter was the real reason they all stayed behind.)

Given that the three of them were all legal age (well, _technically_, according to their doctored birth certificates) Charlie seemed more willing to accept his explanation (even though Bella bemoaned it would take more than a few talks to convince him to let her stay the night now that parental supervision was absent) and had even gruffly informed the three of them that, if they needed anything, his door was always open.

Jasper was grateful and incredibly touched by the offer. He didn't really remember his father, but he liked to think that he had been a lot like Charlie.

The sudden sound of a shower being turned on pulled Jasper back into the moment and reminded him why he was here. Easing his foot down on the faded carpet, he took another glance around Bella's room and realized he wasn't as alone as he originally thought he was. Though he still couldn't see her (he was still holding out hope that it'd happen eventually, as unlikely as it seemed now) he had gotten really good at sensing when Nan was around. There was a slight static-y feeling in the air whenever she was near and was usually accompanied by a faint scent (so faint that even with his superior senses he had to strain to register it) akin to sun-warmed earth.

"I know you're here, Nan," he kept his voice hushed, "and not to be rude or anything ma'am, but I'd kinda like to talk to Belle alone." He paused after he spoke and in the sudden silence, save for the shower in the background, he was able to pick up the shift in the room that signified her departure.

He shrugged off his jacket and perched on the edge of Bella's bed, waiting for her to finish and desperately trying to push aside the naughty thoughts that came with picturing his mate in the shower. After denying her the first time, she had eventually been able to talk him into taking one with her and now he'd never been able to even look at one the same way again.

After that amazing and most definitely life changing weekend together, Bella had pulled away from him a little once they had returned to school. She was still cheerful and affectionate, but suddenly she had excuses for not going home with them after school (not for the night, Charlie wasn't _that_ lenient) and brushing off their attempts to come to her house instead.

Jasper had put up with it for the longest three days of his life before finally deciding that enough was enough. As much as sneaking in her window while she showered felt borderline stalkerish (especially since he was free to walk through the front door and even had the key to do so) he had fallen back into the same routine during their first few months of courtship.

The water cut off a few minutes later and he could hear her shuffling about in the small room, followed by the bathroom door creaking open and her soft approaching footsteps as she grumbled to herself.

"Can't believe I forgot my clothes. How... EEK!"

Jasper couldn't help the grin the quirked his lips. He had never taken Bella for the girlish scream type.

She was touching a hand to her chest, her face scandalized. "How did you get in here?" Apparently he wasn't the only one who forgot he had a key.

He only vaguely registered the question, completely entranced at the sight of Bella fresh from the shower.

She practically swam in the towels stocked in the bathroom at his house, but the one she wore now had only enough fabric to just barely tuck around her lithe frame. A tantalizing strip of skin, flushed a rosy pink from her steamy shower, flashed teasingly every time she shifted. She had forgone the towel around her head (finding the mere practice of doing it too ridiculously girly for her tomboyish tastes) and the thick curtain of her hair, darkened to an almost rusted red color by the water that still clung to it, hung around her shoulders, the sopping strands sending rivulets of water creeping down her shoulders.

Jasper's eyes followed one of those drops as it veered off course and disappeared down her cleavage and his mind completely blanked on why he was even here in the first place and instead focused on his desire to follow that trail of water with his tongue.

An embarrassed giggle broke his concentration and he was finally able to register the slightly pruney hand that was waving in his face. The movement wafted the air around him and he was disappointed that Bella no longer smelled of his body wash, but of her lightly peach scented one instead. As much as he liked the smell, he already missed the scent of himself on her skin.

Her hand waved again.

"Hello? Earth to starey guy."

"I came in through the window," he replied, belatedly answering the question she had asked five minutes ago.

"What happened to the door?"

"Forgot," he answered sheepishly.

She moved in the direction of her dresser. "Well, why didn't you call to tell me you were coming over?" she asked over her shoulder. "It would have saved me the potential heart attack."

"Would you have answered?"

She froze. "Of course I would have. Why would you even ask that?"

"You tell me."

She whirled around, her hands on her hips and Jasper did his best to ignore the fact that the motion caused her towel to slip a bit. "Why are you being such an ass?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he countered.

Her arms dropped and her cheeks, still pink from the shower, flushed further. "I-I haven't," she stuttered.

"Yes you have. Ever since we got back to school. Is this because... do you regret.." God, he wasn't sure he could even say it out loud. Just the mere thought that she might regret one of the best moments of his life, ('**_the_**_ best moment,'_ his mind insisted) would have brought him to his knees if he wasn't already sitting down.

She seemed to get the gist of what he was saying though. "No," she gasped. "Never." Her shoulders slumped. "I was going about it all wrong again, wasn't I?"

"Going about what?"

She began fiddling with the tattered edge of the towel. "I was trying to give you, Rose and Emmett time to... I don't know... adjust?... to the Cullen's being gone. I thought me being there slow down your progress."

Jasper blinked. "Seriously? You've been avoiding me, avoiding us, because you wanted to give us time to... _bond_?" His irritation over the situation was quickly being replaced by amusement.

She huffed. "Or grieve, or something. I told you I don't know. Don't look at me like that. Jasper, I'm serious, stop laughing."

His chuckles died off, but the smile they produced remained. "I'm sorry; it's just all this time I had thought something was really wrong." The smile dimmed. "That maybe you weren't ready to take that step with me and were regretting it."

Bella began blinking rapidly and he scented salt in the air. "That was the best decision I ever made," she said, giving him a trembling smile. "But obviously something _is_ wrong. Apparently I'm the worst girlfriend ever." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Hey," Jasper said, pushing himself off the bed. "It was nothing more than a misunderstanding, no need to get upset." He gathered her warm body in his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her damp head.

"I guess we both really need to stop jumping to conclusions," she mumbled into his chest.

"I think a little leeway should be given, after all, this the first real relationship for both of us."

She poked him gently in the stomach. "Liar," she hissed, pulling back to glare at him.

He shook his head. "No, that wasn't a relationship, that was a dictatorship."

Her eyes softened and she craned her neck up to brush a kiss on his lips.

"No more ignoring?" he asked when she pulled away.

"No more," she agreed, properly chastised.

He began snickering again, relieved that it had been something so silly and easily resolved.

"Stop laughing at me," Bella grumbled, laying her head back on his chest.

"Sorry. I'm just wondering why the hell you thought we needed to bond. Apart from an orgy, the three of us can't get much closer than we already are."

"Better not," Bella growled, digging her nails into sides. "You're mine and only mine."

Jasper's eyes darkened. "What time is Charlie getting back?" he rasped, as he turned and began pushing her back towards the bed, his hand rising to tug at the loose knot of her towel.

"Late," Bella replied huskily.

He pulled it free, the grainy fabric dropping to pool at her feet and grinned wickedly. "Perfect."

* * *

_**A/N2: So... *twiddles her thumbs nervously* what did you think? They say writing smoochies gets easier after the first time, and I gotta say they were right.** **Actual**** sex scenes on the other hand are still in 'I don't freaking think so' territory though. So, sorry to everyone who got their hopes up.  
**_


	16. This is Halloween

******Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**********A_/N: I can't believe I just broke 400 reviews... _**

**********_*Clears throat and begins Oscar appropriate speech*  
_**

**********_First off I would like to thank the big JC. And of course my mom for always reading my stories and never understanding a single thing (and for wisely suggesting the phrase 'tongue banging' when I was struggling with my smoochie scenes). Thanks for the help, ma. And to my big sister for taking every opportunity to poke fun of my fanfic, and I use the word loosely, obsession. All that did was encourage me to keep reading and writing. And lets not forget my old pal insomnia, for keeping me up all hours of the night compulsively writing when sometimes I would really much rather be sleeping. Here's to another 15 years of that old friend. _**

**********_And, seriously, to all you guys who keep reading and reviewing this story, you're all like little rays of sunshine illuminating my otherwise dreary life. (Aww... it won't let me do a little heart symbol... so, even though it lacks the same emotion...) *HEART YOU ALL*  
_**

**********_*End Speech*_**

**********_So, these next few chapters are basically my interpretation of those months of ZomBella, but instead of leaving them blank (seriously, no offense to SM, but who does that?!) it'll just be a few fun moments ( and maybe a few serious ones as well) that show her truly LIVING._**

**********_Oh, and I make absolutely no apologies for Emmett and Rose's costumes... :D_**

* * *

**OCTOBER**

**Halloween**

Bella looked down dubiously at the costume spread out on Rose and Emmett's bed.

"I dunno, Rose..."

Rose shook her head. "Nuh uh, Bella. No weaseling out now. Besides I have a signed agreement giving me full power of attorney over your costume choice."

Bella grimaced. Sadly, she wasn't kidding. After weeks of refusing to commit to an idea, Rose really had written up a contract that Bella had foolishly signed. But in her defense, Jasper had been nuzzling her ear at the time.

"Don't remind me," Bella grumbled before narrowing her eyes. "But I distinctly remember it saying that _you_ would pick it out. This," she said, flailing her arm in the direction of the green fabric," reeks of Emmett."

"Sorry, Bells, but Em doesn't know anything about it."

Bella's eyes widened. The element of surprise made it much, _much_ worse. Just imagining the teasing she'd have to endure set off a dull throbbing behind her right eye. "C'mon," she whined. "I don't even have the right hair color to pull off this costume." She eyed Rose's blond locks. "But you on the other hand..."

"That can be easily remedied."

"No wigs." Bella would concede to a lot of things (just like she knew she'd eventually concede to this) but she refused to wear one of those scratchy, synthetic nightmares on her head.

Rose frowned playfully. "Spoilsport."

"Nan, back me up here." She had gotten more comfortable speaking to her out loud in her vampire's presence and with their understanding had become accustomed to it.

Nan glided over to the bed and ran a hand over the lush, velvet fabric. "I think it's cute, Chime."

"Whatever happened to bros before Rose?" she complained.

Rose snorted. "Clever." She bent down and picked up the costume and held it out towards Bella. "On," she ordered, leaving no room for argument.

"Fine," Bella sighed, tugging at the hem of her long-sleeved grey pullover. "Give 'er here."

**-oo-**

Bella stared down at her feet as Rose secured her hair into a tight bun before firmly wrapping a light green silk ribbon around the base of it to camouflage the elastic tie that was holding it all together. Wiggling the soft slippers she wore, she grudgingly admitted that the bobbing white pom-poms were beginning to grow on her. The dress she wore fit her to a tee and still managed to be one of the most comfortable things she had ever slipped into, next to her pajamas. Seriously, she had known Rose less than a year and had already been coerced into a dress twice. Renee hadn't even been able to get her to wear one to her wedding to Phil.

Her view in the mirror was blocked when Rose stepped in front of her, her lower half clad in the beginnings of her costume- a pair of tight, red leather pants.

"Eyes up," Rose ordered, reaching for a small jar on the vanity behind her and twisting off the top. Dipping a small brush in the shimmery powder, she cupped Bella's chin. "Close 'em."

Bella did as she was told, blinking them open when Rose finished and moved to sweep the freshly re-dipped brush along the bottom arch of her eyebrows. Rose turned back to switch the brush to a slightly bigger one and after reapplying a thin layer of the powder, dusted it across the apples of Bella's cheeks.

Bella's lips quirked as Rose's greenish-brown eyes (compliments of a pair of _ridiculously_ expensive specially made contacts) narrowed in concentration.

"You do realize that no one is going to know who you're supposed to be," she pointed out.

Rose shrugged, the movement jostling the chunky silver cross lying against her pale collarbone. "If they can't recognize the strongest female character to ever grace the small screen, than that's their problem, not mine."

She reached for a second tube and, uncapping it, raised the small wand to gently smear a pale pink gloss across Bella's lips.

Bella's nose wrinkled. No matter what the shade, the color pink never failed to remind her of Alice.

"Nope, not her color." Rose, like Jasper, had gotten really good at seemingly reading her mind. "Not gaudy enough."

"It's all kinds of weird that you're dressing up as Buffy the _Vampire Slayer_." Bella drew the last two words out slowly.

Personally she thought it was hysterical that Rose had a not so secret obsession with vampire shows and movies- especially since it seemed more like something that Emmett would indulge in. The shows amused him and he would gladly watch them for his mates benefit, but outside of that he didn't show any particular interest in them. Jasper, on the other hand, hated them and could often be found grumbling in a room (as far away from whatever TV was playing them) about the _'misrepresentation of his species'_.

Bella had told him that maybe he should start a protest about it. Call it _'The Million Undead Man March'_ or something. He had not been as amused as she was.

"I'm being ironic," Rose replied, twisting around to put the finishing touches on her own makeup. She pointed a blood red nail towards the bed where the pièce de résistance of Bella's costume should have been laying. Instead, Nan was holding it up with a grin, swirling her finger in a 'turn around' motion.

Bella rolled her eyes, but offered Nan her back, shifting her arms and manoeuvring them through the thin, transparent straps. "It's not really ironic if only four of us know the truth."

Rose slipped a plain black tank top over her head. "Well maybe I just wanted a reason to wear leather pants." She reached towards the vanity and grabbed the final addition to her ensemble -a meticulously carved stake (courtesy of Emmett) - and slipped it into the holster (another specially made purchase) attached to her upper thigh.

"I don't remember her ever having something like that," Bella mused as Nan shifted the delicate fabric on her back into place.

"Like your hair, I'm taking liberties with my costume. Making it better, really. Wouldn't something like this make more sense than stuffing it own the back of your pants or up your sleeves?"

It was moments like this that Bella could almost truly believe that Rose and Jasper really were twins. Both of them loved nothing more than to point out and deconstruct the inaccuracies or overall stupidity of something. (Jasper in anything historical and Rose in TV shows and movies.) It was pointless to even attempt to argue with them about it because, not only was it a headache waiting to happen but 99% of the time, they were usually right.

Rose nodded at her reflection, pleased with her overall look (and really, despite the lack of a Valley Girl tan, she did look eerily similar to the kick-ass female character) and turned to appraise Bella.

Bella tugged self-consciously at the short jagged edge of her dress, certain she looked as foolish as she felt.

Rose didn't seem to think so. "Damn, I'm good," she muttered. "You look great." She stepped off to the side. "Come see for yourself. _Bella_," she warned sternly when she remained rooted to the spot.

Bella heaved a heavy sigh and tiptoed her way to the mirror, the white pom-poms on her slippers bobbing with every step. When she finally reached the reflective service, she had to admit that Rose was right, she was good.

Alice may have been the fashionista in the family, but her talents with clothes started and ended with simply wearing them. Rose on the other hand, was a savant when a needle and thread were in her hands. Her skills with fabrics were only outshined by her skills with vehicles but, because cars were her first passion, she didn't indulge in this one as often as she did the other. But when she did... it was magic.

Yes, the dress Bella wore was simple in its design, but to copy if from the original (a cartoon no less) as faithfully as she had (and not taking the easy route out and choosing a cheap, stretchy material) and for it to fit like a glove, took real talent.

The soft, velour-like fabric in a surprisingly pretty shade of pea-green cut tight across her chest, its strapless bodice curving over her breasts and forming an almost circular M-shape. It flared out slightly at the hips and ended in a jagged triangular pattern all around the bottom hem, which sat at roughly mid-thigh. Her smooth, pale legs were bare down to her feet which were clad in dainty ballet flats consisting of the same pea-green fabric. Each were topped with a fuzzy, bright white pom-pom that had been sturdily sewn onto them.

From her back stretched sparkly, gossamer wings that were a decent size but still not large enough to be obstructive in any way. The powder Rose had applied highlighted her eyes and cheekbones and cast a shimmery glow to her face that was reminiscent of the glow her vampires had. Bella decided she quite liked the effect.

"Well?" Rose prodded.

Other than the hair, Bella was the exact replicate of the fairy from Peter Pan. "I look good," Bella admitted. Good enough that it was almost worth the eventual ribbing she'd get from Emmett.

"Of course you do. Would I steer you wrong?"

Bella snorted. "Two word: Brazilian. Wax."

Rose reached across the vanity to grab a small clear bottle and, in the mirror, Bella could see her smirk. "Pretty sure Jasper appreciated it," she snarked.

Bella's face bloomed with color and in the background she could hear Nan humming loudly to herself. She may have come to terms with the fact that her great-granddaughter had a healthy sex life, but that didn't mean she liked hearing about it... at least not in that kind of detail.

Rose straightened up and flipped up the top of the bottle she held. "One more thing. Hold out your hand."

"What is it?" Bella asked suspiciously.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Glitter lotion. Now, put 'em up."

Bella dutifully raised her hand. "You just keep this stuff lying around?" she asked, accepting a cool, medium-sized glob of it on her outstretched palm. "You don't really seem the type."

"Are you kidding? If I wanted to sparkle, I'd just take a stroll in the sunlight. I brought this stuff for you, for your costume I should say."

"You really commit, don't you?" Bella said, raising her hand towards her face, fully intending to sniff it before she rubbed in on her skin. Jasper's sensitive nose was irritated by the smell of overly harsh chemicals (particularly of the flowery kind), especially on her. Not that he needed to be concerned; she didn't really care for perfume anyways.

"It's unscented," Rose confirmed before she had even taken the first whiff.

Rubbing it between her hands, Bella rubbed the glittery lotion up the skin of her arms and, as an afterthought, across the bare expanse of her upper chest.

"Might want to go wash your hands off," Rose advised, shrugging on a short, tight black leather jacket.

Bella nodded, cutting across the room and heading towards the large private bath that was connected to the bedroom. Flicking the light on, she crossed over to the sink and adjusted the taps until warm water was gushing out. Sticking her hands under the stream, she began washing the excess lotion off.

"Hey!" she called out. "What are Emmett and Jasper dressed as?"

"You'll see," Rose sing-songed and Bella could hear the humor in her voice.

She hoped to god Jasper hadn't been forced to match her. As much as she was certain that he could pull the look off, no man should be forced into green tights.

Twisting the tap off, she dried her hand on the towel hanging next to the sink and took a moment to mentally prepare herself for the 'Tinkerbella' jokes that were sure to follow that night.

"Ready, Bells?"

"Coming!" Bella shouted back.

Pausing at the door, she cast a final glance at the mirror, admiring the way the overhead lights sparkled subtly off the lotion on her skin.

_'This is how I'll look when I'm a vampire,'_ Bella thought mildly and at that moment she could see her future mapped out, an eternity by her vampire's sides as she realized that, not even in the beginning, had it been a matter of _if_ when it came to being a vampire.

No, it had always been _when_.

**-oo-**

The concern Bella had about being teased was rendered moot the second she got halfway down the stairs and saw what was waiting at the bottom. Because, even if Emmett had poked fun at her, she wasn't able to hear it over her screaming laughter.

Her matching fears had been correct. She had just had the wrong couple.

There, in all his glory, was not Buffy's brooding, souled counterpart (a look Emmett probably could have pulled off) but the conflicted bad-boy instead... if said bad-boy had been built like a linebacker that is.

It had kicked off when Emmett yelled, "'Allo!" in what was quite possibly the worst British accent Bella had ever heard, the booming qualities causing her to misstep and stumble slightly on the stairs. Propping herself up against the wall, she shot him a glare, the retort dying on her tongue as she was practically blinded by the glow of Emmett's newly blond hair... newly _bleached_ blond hair. So overdone, it looked almost white.

"It's so blond," Bella stuttered.

She knew it wasn't permanent. Color (even of the peroxided sort) didn't really take in vampire hair acting instead like it had been dyed with Crayola washables and rinsing out in the next shower. Rose had likened it a bit to Claudia from Interview With a Vampire when she had tried to cut her hair off. Only instead of being instantaneous, there was a slight time lapse of no more than 12 hours before it simply faded. (If for some reason they didn't shower before then.) Unlike Claudia though, cutting their hair gave them a bit more of a respite, usually taking a few weeks to grow back.

Bella had been joking when she teased Rose about being committed, but she had no qualms about who exactly it was to convince Emmett to dress up like this and it appeared that she took Halloween dead serious. No pun intended.

It started out as a titter, which turned into a chuckle, which quickly progressed into braying laughter. "You look like Eminem!" she howled, losing her footing and falling forward, thankfully into Nan's open arms.

She didn't even bother trying to right herself; instead keeping her hands wrapped loosely around Nan's shaking shoulders as the two shared their mirth. She was sure she looked a sight, hovering precariously over the stairs at an angle, especially if the look of panic on Jasper's face was anything to go by.

"Nan... Nan... Nan..." she explained in between gasps of air, wilding waving away his attempt to climb the stairs.

She attempted to compose herself, pushing away from Nan in the process and had almost succeeded until she heard Emmett mutter, in that same terrible accent, "bloody wankers," before storming off towards the living room. Jasper, shaking his head with a slight grin on his face, had followed him.

Another bark of laughter escaped her lips and she bent at the waist, fighting off the tears that prickled her eyes. Rose would kill her if she messed up her makeup. "No...no more," she begged helplessly as her giggles tapered off.

She felt a gentle pat on her back and looked up at Rose who managed to look both amused and ticked off.

"I'm almost insulted. I put a lot of work into that look."

"I'm sorry," Bella replied, straightening up and smoothing out the creases she had put in the fabric of her dress. She reached over her shoulder to check to see that her wings were still in place. "The clothes were great." What little she could remember of the all black ensemble with the barest hint of red. "Really, spot on. But the hair..." her lips wobbled. "How did you even get him to agree to that?"

Rose grinned wickedly. "I promised him we could play Buffy the Vampire _Layer_ afterwards."

"So does that mean you'll be the one getting staked tonight?" Bella's eyes widened. "I can't believe I just said that. No!" she yelped, throwing her hands up when it looked like Rose was going to reply. "I don't want to know."

Rose smirked. "I'm gonna go soothe Emmett's shattered ego."

Bella winced. "Sorry," she said for the second time.

Rose shrugged. "He'll live. Besides, this is not the worst costume he's ever worn."

Bella's eyes lit up. "Oooh.. what is?"

"Don't even think about it, Rosie!" Emmett yelled from the living room.

"Sorry, Bella, he made me pinky swear," Rose explained as she glided down the stairs. "Coming?" she asked, looking up at Bella.

"Be right there," Bella replied, biting her lip as she shot a look to her side. Rose nodded in understanding and disappeared around the corner.

"There, there Monkey Man," she heard Rose coo.

"You coming with us?" Bella asked Nan, eying the dress draping her frame.

Nan was the probably the only woman she knew who could wear a jack-o-lantern dress and get away with it. Halloween had always been her favorite holiday when she had been alive she had quickly gained a reputation for having the best treats and best scares in town. And every year she always had a new themed dress to celebrate it. The pumpkin one she was currently wearing had always been Bella's favorite.

"On Halloween? You know better than that." She knew that Nan considered this day the perfect excuse to cause a little perfectly harmless mischief. Her favorite pastime being to put the fright into bullies who harassed kids into giving them their candy.

Bella sighed. She also knew better than to try and talk her out of it, especially when she had encouraged it in the past. "Just promise me you won't make anyone wet their pants this year. That kind of thing will damage a person for life."

She heard a faint snort from the direction of the living room and had the feeling that Jasper was probably wondering what the hell they were talking about.

"That was an accident," Nan huffed. "And he shouldn't have been stealing candy in the first place. Him and his group of friends were grown men for goodness sakes! Besides, I don't remember you complaining when I got your candy back, now did I?"

"There was three _whole_ chocolate bars in there! Do you know how rare it is for someone to give out a regular size chocolate bar, let alone three?" Bella blinked. "And I can't believe I'm having this argument with you. Go. Shoo. Have fun and don't get into trouble."

Nan's brow arched wryly. "Isn't that my line?" She leaned over and placed a light kiss on Bella's cheek just below the shimmering powder. "Have fun, Chime... and get into trouble." She winked cheekily and disappeared.

Bella chuckled as she descended the steps and aimed herself towards the living room only to by snatched off to the side the second she stepped through the archway.

"Mmmm... did I tell you how amazing you look in that outfit, Bella? Or should I say TinkerBella."

Bella rolled her eyes, but pressed a nibbling kiss to Jasper's lips. "At least you said it before Emmett got a chance to. Speaking of costumes..."

She wondered if Jasper had somehow gotten his hand on her journal and read about her desire to see him decked out in full cowboy gear. On his casual days, when he felt the urge to break out the hat or his boots (sometimes both) it was usually enough to make her girly parts flutter, but seeing the full enchilada was just about sending her body into anaphylactic shock.

She skimmed her hand down the sage colored fabric of his button up shirt, pausing to fiddle slightly with the top two undone buttons before trailing her hand down to trace the large, bull shaped buckle located at his hips. Gripping the heavy metal in her hands, she leaned back slightly and admired the dark brown leather chaps that covered his legs. Releasing the belt buckle, she took a step back and twirled her finger in the air.

"Give us a little spin, Cowboy," she said primly, batting her eyelashes.

He shot her a heated smirk before doing as requested, keeping his pace slow enough so that she could as thoroughly admire the back as she did the front.

"Ma'am," he drawled thickly when he faced her again, tipping the cowboy hat, the same brown color of his chaps, down low over his eyes. The look that accompanied the action made her want to throw herself in his arms and say, _'screw the bar.'_

From behind him came a loud gagging noise that officially broke the moment.

_'Later,'_ Jasper mouthed, licking his lips for good measure and sending a nerve wracking shiver down her spine.

Over his shoulder she could see a pouting Emmett sprawled out on the couch (who clearly didn't appreciate all the love that Jasper was getting for his costume), leaning his head against a smirking Rose's shoulder as she ran a hand through his atrociously colored hair.

"He looks like a complete tool," Jasper agreed, doing his best to whisper it out of the side of his mouth even though he knew full well Emmett would hear him.

"I hate you all," Emmett grumbled petulantly. "Next year's costumes are my choice." He raised his head to shoot Bella a borderline sinister look. "All of them."

Bella met his gaze challengingly. "Hey Jas, what's the worst costume Emmett's ever had?" she asked loudly. Emmett's eyes widened.

Jasper smirked approvingly. "Easy. Malibu Barbie."

"What happened to the sanctity of the pinky swear?!" Emmett yelled.

"Wha..." Bella sputtered, the visual alone practically frying her brain. "Why would he even..?"

"He lost a bet he shouldn't have made in the first place," Jasper replied smugly.

"Please... _please_ tell me you have pictures!"

"An entire photo album," Jasper promised.

Emmett slumped back onto the couch, admitting total defeat. "At least I had the legs to pull it off," he replied, staring down at the black jean clad legs stretched out before him.

"You were definitely convincing enough for that man to hit on you." Jasper paused, tapping his chin in mock thought. "What was his name again?"

Emmett mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Jasper goaded.

Rose giggled, answering for him. "Chocolate St. Claire."

Jasper turned back to Bella. "That was his real name too, by the way. On his driver's license and everything."

The three vampires shared a laugh of remembrance and Bella decided that nothing would make her happier than to spend every Halloween just like this for the rest of her life.

She must of been projecting because a cool hand suddenly brushed her cheek. "What are you thinking right now, Darlin'?"

Bella watched as Emmett stood, pulling Rose up with him and obediently standing still as she fussed with the collar of his admittedly awesome leather duster. Looking back into Jasper's glowing amber eyes, she smiled softly. They had time before they needed to have a serious discussion about the future, but now it was time to simply enjoy the present. "Nothing. Just really happy."

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

Collar finally straightened, Emmett declared, "Let's get this party started."

"Let me go grab something," Jasper said, darting out of the room and returning seconds later with his distressed leather jacket slung over his arm. "Let me help you out of those wings, Belle."

"Why?" she asked, but agreeably shifted her arms back.

"It's cold out, you'll need a jacket and unless you plan on lying on your stomach, you'll have to take them off before you get in the car anyways." He slipped them off her shoulder and replaced it with the jacket he had slung over his arm.

"What about you?" Not that he really needed a jacket anyways.

"Got it covered," he replied, handing her the wings. He snatched up a jacket, similar to Emmett's duster but in a brown that was a shade or two lighter than his chaps, that she hadn't noticed had been resting on the back of the couch and slid it smoothly over his shoulders. The supple leather fabric swept around his calves and added with the jangle of the spurs on his boots as he walked, Bella could almost swear she was back in the Wild West.

He took the wings back from her and after gently folding them, offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Bella agreed, looping her arm with his and entwining their fingers as he led them towards the door.

**-oo-**

"Hey, Bells?" Emmett asked as the three stood on the porch waiting for Rose to grab Bella's forgotten (and still very fake) ID out of her wallet. "About your costume...?"

_'Here it goes,'_ Bella thought, bracing herself for some form of the same tired line Jasper had already taken a shot at. "Yes, Emmett?"

"Why the hell are you dressed as Edward?"

* * *

_**A/N2: I take as many opportunities as I can to take a dig at Edward. I think my next story shall simply be called: Insulting Edweird. Brilliant, n'est-ce pas?**_

_**Tinkerbella is actually Bella's nickname in another story I've been 'tinkering' (I am a genius) with, so I when it came to her costume, it was a pretty obvious choice. As for Jasper... sorry for the clicheness. I was originally gonna make him a pirate (to kinda match Bella), and than briefly considered a Confederate Soldier but than decided if I wanted to see Jasper in full on Cowboy gear, than surely to god so would Bella.**_

_**As for the Buffy homage... well, without the Buffy and Spike pairing I probably wouldn't even be reading fanfic. And even now, after 12 years of reading it, they're still my first and fondest love. Spuffy Forever! Peace out.**_


	17. It's Called THANKSgiving

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**A/N: Let's get serious, serious. I wanna get serious, let's get into serious...**_

_**This chapter had an alternate title.. I affectionately called it: The Chapter That Wouldn't F&*#ing End! It's pushing almost 10,000 words, so I've split it into two. I'll be posting the second part tomorrow... or considering that it's almost two in the morning, later today.  
**_

_**This chapter is gonna be a little heavier than the last. You're finally going to get a glimpse at the rather..dysfunctional.. relationship Bella has with her mother. In fact, I'm gonna warn you that Renee might rub a lot of you the wrong way. She is very much a villain type character who might come off a little... to much. But I've always personally believed that Bella had a terrible relationship with her parents (maybe not so much Charlie) which would explain why she latched onto the Cullen's like she did. So this is me just being a little... okay a LOT.. more upfront about the situation.  
**_

_** I'm also giving a slightly new twist to Emmett's death. (Which once again involves me taking liberties with an ACTUAL birth date.) And I also might have the month a bear hibernates a little exaggerated but... well, you know me.  
**_

_**Thanks for all the awesome responses to the last chapter. Reading that I made so many of you laugh gave me a real Grinch moment... my small heart grew three sizes after that.**_

* * *

**NOVEMBER**

"I think it's a little unfair that you're hunting a bear while they're prepping for hibernation. They're not exactly at their peak right now."

Emmett smiled faintly. "Really? I never would have guessed."

Bella's eyes slammed shut when her brain finally caught up with her mouth and she remembered the conversation she'd had with Jasper the night after Emmett's birthday party.

**-oo-**

"Is it just me, or was Emmett strangely subdued tonight?"

He had been properly excited in the beginning, geeking out over the vintage game console she had gotten for a steal on Ebay, but as the night progressed, he had grown quiet, almost introspective. It had been a very different change from the guy who'd been whirling her around the room and singing at the top of his lungs on her own birthday.

Jasper sighed heavily. "His birthday has always been a difficult time for him," he admitted.

"Why?"

"You remember when Emmett told you about his turning that day in the forest?"

Bella nodded. How could she forget something as brutal as that? When it came to her vampires, it seemed that 'peaceful death' was very much an oxymoron.

"Well, there are a few details he... skimmed over..."

**-oo-**

Suddenly, _"I was mauled to death by a bear,"_ had turned into a newly 19 year old Emmett being out hunting for a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner only to stumble across something that definitely was NOT what he'd been looking for. It had to be quite the emotional upheaval to be reminded of your death only a two days after you were supposed to be celebrating your birth.

"I'm so sorry, Em," she apologized meekly.

He shrugged. "It's okay Bells, really. It doesn't bother me anymore. I got over it a long time ago."

She knew that wasn't entirely the truth, considering that the three of them ran upstate and put a small dent in the black bear population every year when this particular holiday rolled around.

Jasper had told her about it that same night and how they had done it for the last fifty odd years as a small way to somehow bridge the two events, albeit in a morbid way. It had been Jasper's idea and in the beginning it had been used as a way to help Emmett cope with the misery he usually felt (and, thanks to his gift, Jasper as well) around those days and now it was considered a tradition.

Despite the semi-dark reason for said tradition, judging by the glint in Emmett's eyes when he talked about the upcoming trip, she suspected he enjoyed it more than he liked to admit. Especially when she learned it was essentially the focal point for the unbreakable bond that the three of them would eventually share. It's why she encouraged the three of them to take the trip when they seemed reluctant to do so.

They had offered her a chance to come along, but Charlie had made the potentially disastrous decision to host a Thanksgiving Dinner and invite Renee and the new husband he had never met.

Even worse, they had agreed.

So, as much as she would of loved to go, someone had to stay and play ref. Besides, she owed it to Charlie to spend this holiday with him. It'd be the first one since the Christmas she'd spent in Forks two years ago.

She practically had to cajole the others into leaving, though, telling them that if they stayed, Charlie would most definitely expect them at dinner and they couldn't sit around and pretend to eat for two hours. Especially not with Renee watching their every move.

Besides, it was only for two days. She was sure she could manage.

**THANKSGIVING**

"So, need me to do anything?" Bella could tell by the hesitant way he asked, that he was really hoping she'd say no.

"No, Charlie. Go.. shoo. Watch the game or something."

She wouldn't have even let him if he wanted to, not when he pretty much burnt everything he touched. She's not exactly sure how he even survived before she got here but she largely suspected that the words 'Swanson' and 'Microwave' had something to do with it. While her cooking wouldn't necessarily draw acclaim from Gordon Ramsay, she still knew enough to put together a pretty decent Thanksgiving dinner. Besides, she had a secret weapon.

Nan.

The pies currently cooling on the rack had been her creation, made possible when Charlie had disappeared for an hour to check in on something at work, as was the stuffing currently cooking away happily in the turkey Bella had risen an hour earlier than usual to start.

Speaking of the turkey.

_Check on that will you, Nan?_ Bella asked when she finally heard the sounds of the game blaring from the other room.

She snuck a harried glance at the clock, noting that supper would be done in about an hour and a half and that Renee and Phil were due within the next hour or so. Everything appeared to be ahead of schedule, the vegetables already set out on the burners and ready to be turned on, so she decided to pass at least a few minutes by setting the table.

Her movements were slightly sluggish, thanks to the throbbing ache located in her chest. Jasper had told her it might be like this and while the sensation was tolerable, every twinge reminded her that he was hundreds of miles away. She couldn't complain though, she'd been the one that encouraged him to go.

"You alright, Chime?" Nan asked as she closed the door to the oven.

Bella realized that she had stopped setting the table and instead had her face burrowed into the neck of the large navy blue sweater Jasper had let her borrow before he left, promising her that it'd ease the ache some. He said he had something of hers too, but wouldn't tell her what – which meant she probably didn't want to know.

She rooted around for his chocolatey-cinnamon scent, and allowed it to soothe her nerves. _Just missing him, _she sighed softly. _Them._

"They'll be back before you know it."

_Yeah, all I have to do is survive this dinner first._ Bella scrapped back a chair and plopped heavily into it. _I don't want her here,_ she admitted tightly, cradling her head in her hands.

"Why don't you?" Nan asked, her tone not the least bit judgmental.

_Everything's been pretty much perfect since the Cullen's left and I don't want to experience the feeling of being under the microscope again, accompanied by a lingering sense of irritation and burden. You know, until I met those four, I seriously thought only Renee was capable of that combination._

She had never come out and said it directly, but there was a few times when Bella got the feeling that Renee wished she hadn't been born. In the early years of her childhood it hadn't been as obvious, what with Nan around to fill in the gaps that Renee's disinterest in being a mother had left. But when Nan had died, it wasn't as easy to ignore that Renee was only around when the timing suited her and showed just enough interest in her daughter's life to make it look good to the outside world.

As much as it hurt, she always told herself that it could have been worse, that Renee could have worked out her frustrations with her fists instead of with words and indifference.

She pushed back from the table and stood to resume setting it. _I don't want her to tear down everything I've built up here, Nan._

"It's only for two days, Chime," Nan pointed out. "Three at the most."

_That's practically a life time in Renee speak,_ she replied bitterly, lining up the fork next to the knife she had just placed down and then adjusting it once more when she decided it didn't look right.

Nan's face was pained when she answered. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to protect you from all that hate she harbored."

_It wasn't so much hate as it was indifference, Nan. Besides, after you... _She cleared her throat uncomfortably_. I'm pretty sure it wasn't your job anymore. _

"Oh but it was, Chime. I'm not just here to look after you when it comes to the big stuff, but the small stuff as well. I think that, more than anything, it was the small stuff that made me stay."

Bella froze_. Made you..._ she swallowed thickly. _Nan, I'm not... I'm not keeping you here am I? I'm not forcing you to be here, am I?_

She realized that even after all these years; this had never been brought up in conversation. She had always tiptoed the subject of Nan's death anyways and to her it had simply been: Nan's here, that's all that matters. Suddenly the thought that she was keeping her from moving on, keeping her from an afterlife that may or may not exist, made her sick to her stomach.

"You clear that thought from your mind this instance, Isabella Marie! Since when has anyone forced me to do anything? Where the hell do you think you get your stubborn streak from? I'm here because I need to be here, because I want to be here and that's all that's important." She hesitated. "Should that... desire, ever make itself known, know that I would never just disappear on you, sweetheart. I'd talk it over with you first."

The fact that Nan had tacked that on at the end made Bella think that there was a very large chance that something would be happening in the foreseeable future. She was as certain of this as she was that her vampires would inadvertently be the reason behind it. Ever since they had extended the branch of friendship, she had felt the dependency she had on Nan's companionship fade a little more each day. It was still there, but nowhere near the _'I don't know what I'll do without her'_ strength it once was.

She found herself thing about it once or twice, more so after summer, trying to decipher how she really felt about the possibility. She wasn't happy about it, obviously, but at the same time, there wasn't a sense of panic like there would have been if she had asked herself the same question a year earlier.

For now she'd leave it, she already had too many thoughts and concerns whirling in her mind at the moment, and fall back onto the humor and jokes she knew best. _You wouldn't have happened to listen to Jasper's speech that day the Cullen's left for good, would you?_

Nan shot her a questioning look. "No, why?"

_He pretty much said thing to me about him, Rose and Emmett staying behind._

"Well, then maybe you should listen."

_ Stubborn, remember?_ Bella retorted cheekily. She laid the final utensil on the table, grimacing when she looked up at the clock and realized that a task that should have only taken her five minutes to do, had taken thirty. She figured she had just enough time to start the vegetables and take a shower.

Putting the burner on a low setting, she quickly checked the turkey and perused the kitchen to make sure that everything was done.

"Everything is fine, Chime," Nan attempted to soothe. "Quit worrying."

Bella snorted. When it came to Renee, all she could do was worry. Worry about whether or not she would come home when she went out, worry about whether she'd have a strange man with her if she did, and worry what would happen when Renee couldn't keep a steady job. Nan had actually been the one to initially encourage her to move to Forks after things started getting serious between Renee and Phil. She'd been concerned Bella was going to worry herself into an early grave. And now after months of being worry free, all it took was one visit from Renee to bring it all back.

_'God, I wish Jasper was here.'_ She could really go for a heaping dose of calm right now.

The minute she thought his name, it felt like his hand had brushed her cheek, leaving a trace of cinnamon in the air. She eyed the apple pie sitting on the counter (which was flavored with a more than healthy dose of cinnamon because Nan knew Renee hated the stuff) and shook her head for being so silly. But she had to admit she did feel a little less tense than she did a minute ago.

With one last glance at the stove to make sure she hadn't set the burners too high, she walked out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs yelling, "Keep an eye on the stove," as she ascended them.

She heard a loud grunt from the vicinity of the living room where Charlie was no doubt enthralled with the game. Not like it mattered.

She was talking to Nan anyways.

**-oo-**

The air felt different when she got out of the shower, thicker, something that definitely wasn't attributed to the steam that clouded the small bathroom. Bella found herself dressing slower, taking more time than she had originally intended.

She had wrestled briefly with the obligation she felt to make an effort for Renee and the 'special' occasion in general and put on something a little more dressy (even Charlie had come downstairs earlier wearing a navy blue button down shirt she'd never seen before) but decided, as long as she didn't wear one of her band shirts and the jeans with the holes in the knees, than it wasn't necessary to step outside her comfort zone just to please her.

As she pulled Jasper's loose sweater back on over the white tank top she wore, she absently noted that if she had been celebrating this holiday with her vamps instead, she would have given more serious consideration to dressing up. That they never really would have expected it of her is what made the difference, she never felt like she had to do anything out of obligation for them.

Pulling on a pair of dark wash jeans, she finished the look with a pair of mismatched socks – one stars, one stripes – and twisted her damp hair into a thick braid.

Nan was waiting for her when she exited the bathroom and, from the sound of not only one but four voices drifting up the stairs, she already knew what she was going to tell her.

_Fashionably late Renee is early?_ she joked. She hovered for a few minutes at the top of the stairs as she waited for the fourth voice, a friend of Charlie's who had been in the Port Angeles area around the same time Renee and Phil's flight got in and offered to drive them here, to say their goodbyes and the conversation to move into the living room before making her way downstairs.

When Bella re-entered the kitchen, she saw Renee puttering around, poking at various items and doing her best to look like she knew her way around a kitchen, when the truth was that Charlie's lack of cooking skills put hers to shame. Nan had always done the cooking and when she had passed, it had fallen to Bella.

"Hello, Mother," Bella said warily, deciding that since it was the holidays, she'd use the more parent friendly name.

"Bella," Renee greeted, giving her a critical once over. "You've gained weight."

Bella gritted her teeth, biting her tongue against the caustic words she was tempted to shoot back. _'Why yes, Renee. Now that I no longer have to worry about looking after you, I can finally look after myself.' _

Most girls would probably freak out to see the numbers on the scale rising, but all Bella felt was relief in knowing that she was finally gaining back the much need pounds she had progressively lost after Nan died. Thank god Nan had set up a trust fund for the house (not to mention one for Bella and only for Bella) to keep the bills paid, or she'd have wasted away.

Nan had set up the, not overly excessive but definitely healthy, fund before she died, enabled by her late-husband's lucrative career as a very successful carpenter and some sound investing skills. It allotted money that insured all the bills would be paid, which allowed them to live quite comfortably. But after Nan's house had burnt to the ground, Renee had been determined to move up and although Nan's will stipulated that the bills would continue to be paid, regardless of where they lived, the sudden increase in the amount (now with an added rent that they hadn't had to pay before since Nan owned the house) they had practically depleted the trust Nan had set up in a few short years.

Rather than ask Charlie for help (at least any more than the child support payments he already sent) Bella had gotten an after school job so they wouldn't have to dip in what was left any more than necessary. Nan had been furious, not only at Renee, but herself for not making the terms clearer. It certainly would have helped when Renee had been able to convince the lawyer that handled the funds that a 40,000 car was a necessary expense so she could get to and from her job. (That she ended up quitting a month later.)

Bella had always thought that her latching on to Phil, a minor league (and relatively successful) ball player, as quickly as she had, had been anything but love. He had miraculously appeared in her life just when things were getting tight and the bill collectors where a few months away from burning up their phone lines. And now it looked like all that added security was going to her head.

Speaking of head...

Her mother's once auburn locks were died a startling shade of brassy platinum, which did not work for her at all, completely overwhelming the tanned color of her skin and making it look almost orange in comparison. Her make-up was impeccably done, but to Bella it looked like it'd been applied with a heavy hand by someone who assumed another layer hid the signs of aging. The sight of it saddened her, because Renee was still considerably young, still two years shy from forty and, although they clashed more often than not, she couldn't deny that her mother was an attractive woman, but the makeup hindered that instead of improving on it.

As for her clothes...

Her mother had always dressed younger than her age, showing off her figure in skirts, tight jeans and form fitting shirts, but now she looked like one of those nouveau-riche people, dressed to the nines in a wine colored shirt and a pair of off white slacks. She had a diamond necklace around her neck, the matching earrings dangling from her lobes and gold bangle bracelets on her right wrist.

Now, Bella didn't really know Phil all too well – not with the practically breakneck speed that his and Renee's relationship had progressed – but she knew that his semi-successful career could only allow him a slightly above-average pay grade. Comfortable, definitely, but nowhere near enough to finance an extravagant lifestyle.

"You look good," Bella lied through her teeth. "Is that designer?"

Renee preened under the attention. "Of course, Phil insists I have the best."

_'I'll bet he does,'_ Bella thought, skirting around Renee so she could drain the potatoes. She wondered if Renee still hid her credit card bills in her underwear drawer.

She dumped the drained potatoes in a large plastic bowl and rustled through the utensil drawer for the brand new masher she had borrowed from her vamps kitchen before they left – why they even had the damn thing, she had no idea. The Cullen's were clearly dedicated to playing human, some might say to almost extreme levels. That same fanatic touch would certainly explain the five packages of unused toilet paper stored at the back of the towel closet she'd stumbled upon one day when she'd been exploring... okay_... snooping._ Obviously she was grateful that it was there if she needed it, but the fact that it hadn't been bought for her (or any human for that matter) was just plain weird.

She slowly mashed the potatoes, before transferring three large spoonfuls to a separate bowl. She grabbed the milk from the fridge and, as she passed by the table, placed the smaller bowl of potatoes in the center. Twisting off the cap, she prepared to pour it over the steaming potatoes in the bowl still on the counter.

"I don't like creamed potatoes," Renee complained.

Bella continued her task, slicing off a pat of butter to add to the mix. "I know." She pointed to the smaller bowl that Renee had clearly seen her set on the table. "Those are yours." She sighed when Renee huffed and mumbled out something that might have been thanks. "Look," she said turning around. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but dinner won't be done for another ten minutes at least, so could you..." she motioned at the kitchen entrance, her intent clear.

The look on Renee's face clearly implied that she did think Bella was being rude, but she didn't care. She could barely concentrate knowing that Renee was staring at her back.

"I'll call you when it's done."

Renee's voice was tight when she replied. "Fine." She tilted her chin up and strolled regally out of the kitchen, her high heels clicking against the linoleum as she went.

Bella grimaced as she turned back to the counter. She hadn't been hoping for a miracle, but she'd at least thought that marriage would have chilled Renee's attitude out some. But it looked like the only thing that had changed about Renee was the clothes and the color of her hair.

_'This should be fun.'_

**-oo-**

"How's school going?"

"Good."

"Make any friends?"

"A few." When talking to Renee, it was best to keep your response as monosyllabic as possible, as to give her less ammo to work with.

"I haven't talked to you since you moved and that's the best you can do?"

"I tried calling your cell." Renee had removed the home phone the year before, declaring it pointless after they both got cell phones.

"Oh.., well, I changed to a new service provider months ago; they gave me a much better deal. That number had has been disconnected since February."

_'And you didn't even think to tell your own daughter this?'_

Charlie seemed to have the same thought, because his conversation with Phil ground to a halt. "You have a different number?" he asked reproachfully. "Why didn't you tell me that?" He glanced over at the list of numbers tacked to the wall. Bella knew that the cop in him wanted to know how to get a hold of everyone _whenever_ and _wherever_ he needed. Even from here she could see the additions in her own handwriting:

**_Jasper – 555-7399_**

**_Rose – 555-7827_**

**_Emmett – 555- 3853_**

Renee huffed. "I forgot. I've been very busy in-between decorating the house and traveling with Phil."

Phil's cheeks flushed slightly at being pulled into the conversation.

"Traveling?" Charlie repeated. "All the more reason that your daughter should have your number."

Her parents weren't often in the same room, but when they were, Bella could see why their marriage hadn't lasted.

She wasn't the only one who sensed a fight brewing as Phil cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I suppose it's just as much my fault," he said good-naturedly. "I have been on the road a lot this season. Renee and I will make sure to leave _both_ our numbers before we go."

He flashed a tentative smile at Bella which she returned weakly, appeased slightly by his efforts to dissuade the situation. Renee didn't look particularly pleased at being called out, even if Phil had taken most of the blame for something that wasn't really his fault in the first place, but she let the matter settle as she speared a thin slice of the turkey she had painstakingly diced at the beginning of the meal.

"So, these friends of yours?" she asked, chewing slowly.

Bella knew Charlie was doing his best to encourage neutral conversation, but she couldn't stop her jaw from ticking slightly when he interjected, "Yeah, are you sure they didn't want to come? We have plenty of food."

Bella's friends were just that, _hers_, and she wasn't sure how much she wanted to share with Renee... or even _if_ she wanted to share.

"They're not even in town," she reminded him, lips quirking slightly at the disappointment that flashed across his face. When she'd first told him that they'd be away over the break, he had been genuinely upset that they weren't going to be joining them.

Renee's perfectly manicured hand wrapped around the stem of her wineglass and raised it to her lips so she could take a large swallow of the ruby liquid inside. "Oh? Are you so close that you invited them to a _family_ dinner?"

**_'They are my family!'_** Bella wanted to scream.

Charlie shrugged. "They're good kids."

"What are their names?"

Bella sighed, there was obviously no escaping this. "Jasper and Rosalie Hale and Emmett McCarty."

Renee finally set the wine glass down. "And which one of them are you dating?"

Bella's fork clattered to the plate. "Excuse me?" she choked out.

"No one says names with that much affection if they weren't dating one of them. I'm assuming it's that Jason fellow since you said his name first."

"Jasper," she gritted out.

Renee waved her hand dismissively. "Just be careful. It's probably all sunshine and rainbows now, but next thing you know, you'll find yourself pregnant and stuck in this two bit town for the rest of the life."

Charlie's knuckles whitened as they tightened around his fork. "Funny, I remember you skipping this 'two bit town' the second you had the chance."

Renee scoffed. "It's not like you tried to stop me."

Fury was simmering in his eyes and his voice was tight when he answered. "Like hell I didn't."

She sneered. "And besides, it's not like I got out scot-free."

And there it was, that subtle reminder that Bella had ruined (or almost ruined) her life. She was actually surprised it had taken Renee this long to get a jab in. She had stopped being surprised at how much it continued to hurt a long time ago.

Bella had never seen Charlie raise his voice before, or even get mad for that matter, but she instinctively knew he was minutes away from exploding.

"I'm not going to put up with this a moment longer." Bella heard Nan say, before the gravy bowl 'mysteriously' tipped off the edge of the table and splattered onto the lap of the person sitting closest to it.

Renee jumped up with a shriek, frantically rubbing at the stain seemingly ignorant to the fact that she was only making it worse.

Phil pushed back from his seat on the opposite side of the table and scrambled around to Renee. Unfortunately, in his haste, his feet slipped on some of the gravy that had fallen to the ground and he toppled backwards. Grabbing at the nearest thing, Renee, to steady himself proved to be useless and he brought the both of them crashing to the floor.

Any hold Bella had over her humor disappeared as the two squirmed around on the gravy smeared linoleum, one moaning in pain and the other still shrieking and she broke into hysterical giggles. Even Charlie looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh.

Renee jumped to her feet, landing her foot in Phil's gut in the process, and whirled to face Bella.

"You planned this!" she shrieked. "You little–"

The amusement immediately disappeared from Charlie's face. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence," he warned. "And don't even think about blaming this on Bella, either. You were the last one with the gravy dish; you obviously set it too close to the edge." He rose to his feet and offered a hand to man now clutching his stomach on the floor. "You okay?"

"Fine," Phil grunted as he stood, flushing in embarrassment as his hand touched the back of his pants and came away covered in gravy. "Bathroom?"

"First door at the top of the stairs," Charlie directed.

Phil nodded and slunk out of the kitchen, doing his best to keep his gravy soaked backside to the wall. Watching him, Bella felt other bubble of laughter rise up, only to have it choked off by the caustic look in Renee's eyes. It reminded her a little too much of the way Alice used to stare at her whenever she thought the others weren't looking. The only difference between the two was that she knew why Alice hated her.

_'Why do **you** hate me?'_ she wanted to ask. Frustration, anger and misery boiling up in her, a nauseating cocktail that stirred the contents of her stomach. Dimly she registered that Renee's mouth was moving, that her face was contorted in anger, but she didn't hear anything other than the rush of white noise in her ears as her vision blurred with tears.

"Can I be excused?" she barked out over the din of her parents arguing, not intending for it to be a question at all as she pushed the chair hard enough away from the table to send it crashing to the floor as she stood. She turned on her heel and ran towards the front door, sweeping a hand out in the direction of the key pegs on the entryway wall and grabbing the set to her truck.

"Bella!" She heard a voice yell, but she was already outside, slamming the door behind her hard enough to shake the frame and taking the steps two at a time.

She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was that she had to get away.

* * *

_**A/N2: To much? Considering how over the top my humor is, I figured it'd only make sense that my drama would be the same.  
**_

_**I was a little cheeky with the Vamps phone numbers though... can anyone tell me what their last 4 digits spell? :D**_

_**See you on Part Two!**_


	18. Not FORgiving

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**A/N: And now for November Part Deux: The Thanksgiving that Wouldn't Die.. dun dun dun...**_

_**I would have posted this hours ago, but Fanfic kept crashing like Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel of a car.**_

_**As for the phone numbers for the last chapter, they were:**_

_**Jasper- 555-SEXY **_

_**Emmett- 555-DUKE**_

_**Rose- 555-STAR**_

_**Shout out to  Lovely. Slytherin13 for being the first to guess correctly and to MoonPrincess1989 for getting it as well. Your Kristen Stewart's: Greatest Hits DVD Box Set, with such great hits like: Twilight (where she plays a sullen teenager), The Messengers (where she plays a sullen teenager), The Runaways (where she plays a sullen teenager) and Snow White and the Huntsman (where she plays... wait for it... a sullen teenager) along with a bonus DVD, How to Potray a Sullen Teenager: Kristen Stewart Acting Tips are already in the mail! Congrats!**_

_**And to GeezerWench and nals. lewis who were close enough to victory to taste it... you'll get nothing and like it... because trust me, it's much better than first prize. ;D**_

* * *

Jasper leaned up against a tree, his fingers stroking the lacy fabric secreted away in the pocket of his jeans. His lips quirked as he pictured Bella's reaction if she found out he'd stolen a pair of her underwear. No doubt that delectable blush would spread over her cheeks, trailing down her neck and disappearing in the dipped collar of her –

He shifted and snatched his hands out of his pocket. Touching them only led to naughty thoughts anyways and a temptation to go to her and they were only into the first day of their trip. He had already gotten a bear and declared himself done. Usually he was up for at least two or three, but he was getting tired of having to bite through all that thick, musty fur. It made the blood incredibly unappetizing.

He considered pulling his cell phone out and calling her or texting her, anything to re-establish a connection, but sighed when he realized it'd be pointless. Though the cabin they were staying at was within range of a tower (just barely) this part of the woods was not. He promised himself that he'd call her as soon as they got back.

His hand rubbed across the fabric of his chest, right over the spot the covered his un-beating heart, doing his best to soothe away the persistent throb. This had been the first time he'd been away from his Belle since they both fully accepted the bond and he wasn't coping to well. If this is what it was like only a few hours away from her (in vampire speed at least) he imagined that if they had gone any further the pain would be inching closer to excruciating. He could deal with it just fine, but the thought that his sweet mate might be experience the same thing was leaving him very unsettled and for the first time since the three of them started this thing, he found himself wanting to go home early.

Jasper was startled out of his musings when Emmett's heavy frame settled in the grass beside him, followed a few seconds later by Rose sliding into his lap. "It doesn't feel the same anymore," he said as Rose nodded her agreement.

Jasper tilted his head. "Funny, I was thinking something similar. What changed for you?"

"In the beginning, it was like I was trying to get back what was stolen from me – prove to myself that I was stronger than they were. And then afterwards I think I used it to get over all the inadequacies I felt being a part of the Cullen's family... working out my frustrations, you know?"

Jasper nodded. He had used these trips as the same escape considering it was one of the few times they'd been left to their own desires and not constantly monitored. "And now?"

Emmett shrugged. "It's different. I just don't have anything to fight against anymore. Everything's finally... okay." He almost sounded bewildered by the prospect.

Jasper chuckled. "It feels a little weird doesn't it?"

"What does?" Rose asked, lacing her fingers with Emmett's.

"Being happy."

The three of them shared soft smiles as they each got lost in thoughts about the girl who had completed their little family unit.

"Why did we stay with the Cullen's as long as we did?" Emmett finally pondered out loud.

A faint smile crossed Jasper's lips. "Because I think deep down we knew they'd eventually lead us to Bella."

**oo-**

Bella slammed the door to her truck, her hand hovering teasingly over the ignition before dropping back down to her side. As tempted as she was to go to her vamps house and curl up on Jasper's bed, it just wouldn't feel the same it he wasn't there with her.

She poked lightly at the fuzzy grey bells dangling from her rear-view mirror (the surprise gift Emmett had mentioned on her birthday) with a sad smile. Gone only a day and she missed them all desperately.

She rested her head on the steering wheel, inhaling deeply in hopes that it would keep the tears stinging her eyes at bay. Hers ears twitched at the sounds of muffled arguing from the house and as much as she wanted to see Renee storm out through the door, bags in hand, she knew it wasn't going to happen. The airlines were completely booked for Thanksgiving (she knew this because Renee had demanded Phil get them a flight out _immediately_ as she stormed up the stairs and he had timidly told her it was impossible) and because the only motel in town was _maybe_ two steps up from being considered a flea bag, there was no way she'd stay there either.

She could probably find some nice accommodations in Port Angeles if she wanted, but that would either require a very uncomfortable ride with Charlie or a ridiculously expensive cab drive. Neither of which probably appealed to Renee now. Renee had never really had a problem with throwing money around, but she did have a strange intolerance for public transportation.

So the only real option was for Bella to leave instead and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't do that to Charlie.

"Is it bad?" she asked when she heard the soft sigh of air next to her.

"She's in the shower now," Nan responded. "It's properly muffling her screams."

Bella raised her head. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but you probably did more harm than good with that stunt."

Nan's lips thinned out into a frown. "I only wish it had still been hot."

Bella chuckled rustily. "Harsh."

"No, what she said was harsh, Chime. I have never been more ashamed that that woman is actually my blood. I shouldn't be surprised; she has so much of her mother in her." She sighed and looked out the window. "Where did I go wrong?" she muttered softly to herself. "I tried to give Sandra everything I didn't have when I was younger, if only I'd known it would make her incredibly spoiled in the process. And that man she married..." she spat. "That arrogant bastard only made it worse." She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Chime. I shouldn't be unloading my burdens on you, not after that."

She reached out a hand and began threading it through the hair that had fallen out of Bella's braid. "I never told you this, but long before I got pregnant with Sandra, I used to imagine the little girl I would have... she was exactly like you, Chime."

Any control Bella had over her tears was lost as they streamed down her face at Nan's softly spoken admission. She scooted over the bench seat and curled herself into Nan's embrace. A part of her had always secretly wished that Renee had been more like Nan as well.

"Are you going to call them?"

Bella sniffled against her neck and shook her head. "They'll be home in no time, remember? I don't want to bother them."

Nan chuckled. "I know for a fact that they would _never_ consider you a bother."

Bella shrugged as she shifted away and pocketed the keys.

"Where are you going?" Nan asked as Bella wrapped her hand around the door handle.

"Inside," Bella answered dully, popping the door open and sliding from the truck.

She walked up the steps at half the speed she went down them, hesitating briefly when her hand curled around the knob, before finally opening the door. Charlie was standing in the kitchen entrance way when she entered the house, his face blank, but his eyes sad. She turned away from the sight and made a beeline for the stairs, keeping her eyes downcast and her steps light as she went up them. Her gaze shifted away from Charlie's door as she walked by it, concerned that if she looked in its direction it would somehow alert Renee and the arguing on the other side of it would stop and be directed at her instead.

As she walked in her bedroom and closed the door behind her, Bella was grateful that (thanks to their lack of a guestroom) Charlie had offered to give up his room for Renee and Phil to stay in. She absently made a note to get him something awesome for Christmas to say thanks.

She grabbed her cell phone off her dresser as she passed it and slumped down onto her unmade bed._ 'Come home now,'_ her mind screamed while all her eyes did was simply stare at the phone held limply in her hands.

**-oo-**

"Why are we arguing about this?" Emmett asked as the three of them walked at a human pace towards the cabin.

"Who's arguing? I thought we were having a calm discussion." Rose grinned.

"I don't think a calm discussion involves me being called a dipshit," Jasper commented dryly.

"Just telling it like it is," Emmett retorted as he shrugged. "So tell me again why we're not heading back ASAP?"

Jasper began kicking at a rock with the square toe of his boot. "Bella wanted us to take this trip and she needs time with her parents. This is a family holiday, you know?"

"We're her family," Emmett grumbled petulantly.

"Yeah, and we see her every day. She hasn't seen her mother since she moved here."

"You mean the mother she barely gets along with?" Rose pointed out.

"It doesn't change the fact that it's still her mother."

"No," Emmett agreed. "But the fact that she tends to rub Bella the wrong way is _exactly_ why we should be there. You've seen the look she gets on her face when she talks about her."

"I don't –" Jasper hit the ground, clutching at his chest.

"What is it?" Rose cried.

"I felt her," Jasper grunted.

"From this far away?" Emmett exclaimed the same time Rose asked, "Is Bella okay?"

"She's not hurt, not physically at least. But her emotional distress is intense right now."

Rose crouched down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Did you feel this earlier?"

Jasper shook his hand, getting to his feet shakily. "Not exactly. I felt a twinge of something before, but when I focused on it, it disappeared."

"Why didn't you say something?" Rose huffed.

"I wasn't sure what it was," he admitted. "I thought it had to do with being separated. I've felt that twinge all day. I didn't think it was possible to feel her emotions from this far away."

"And you're basing this theory on what exactly? Emmett and I have never been any significant distance away from each other in all the years we've been together, so who's to say the bond doesn't stretch that far?" She smirked when she finished talking.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just amusing to see Mr. Prepared Soldier so in the dark about something." Her face grew serious. "You're sure she's not hurt?"

He shook his head again. "Remember when Bella tripped in our kitchen last month and banged her head? I felt the pain from that; it was different from any emotional pain I've felt from her. In fact there was a brief throb of pain in my own head." He rubbed at his head in the same place he'd felt the phantom pain.

"That kind of connection and you assumed what you felt was simply from the separation? How the hell did you explain the throbbing in your head to yourself?"

"Sympathy pains?" Jasper suggested sheepishly. "Since we were in close proximity, I thought was my gift – that I was just _feeling_ her pain."

"Well, what are you feeling right now?"

"Honestly, I feel like crying."

"Did you learn nothing during all those discussions we had about mating bonds?"

"We had those discussions when I was with Alice and trying to understand why we didn't feel like that."

He felt a sliver of irritation from Rose when he mentioned Alice's name in reference to mating bonds.

"And? You're a vampire, it's not like you forgot."

"I didn't forget. It's just... it's different when you're actually experiencing them instead of talking about it."

Her face softened with understanding.

Emmett shifted his large frame from side to side. "I'm enjoying the Mating Bonds 101 lessons, really I am, but Bell's is apparently in some sort of pain right now and I really think we should be focusing on that instead."

"Should I call her?" Rose asked, as the cabin came in sight.

Jasper looked up at the sky. Judging from the position of the sun, it was around four in the afternoon, give or take an hour.

"If we run, _really_ run," they'd only pushed it a little more than half their speed on the way to the cabin, "we can be there by sundown."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Which is what we should have done in the first place." He paused. "Dipshit."

"Our things?" Rose questioned, looking over at the cabin.

"Anything important?" She shook her head. "Then forget it, they'll still be here when we come back."

"Agreed," Emmett replied, before taking off in the direction of Forks, kicking up a cloud of dust as he went. "Last one to Forks has to drink skunks blood!" he called over his shoulder.

Rose rolled her eyes and darted after him, Jasper hot on her trail.

_'Hold on, Darlin'. We're coming,'_ he thought as he kicked his speed up a notch. Not only because he was eager to get back to her, but he'd be damned if he had to drink skunks blood.

Again.

**-oo-**

They had stopped at the house first so Jasper could pick up his truck; he never went to Bella's house without it when he knew Charlie was there and Emmett and Rose had chosen to stay behind and wait for him and Bella to come back.

Charlie looked (and felt) frazzled when he opened the door and Jasper felt his apprehension kick up another notch.

"Jasper!" he exclaimed, equal parts confusion and relief reflected in his voice and emotions. "What are you doing here?"

"We decided to come back early."

"Didn't you just leave yesterday?" he asked as he ushered him through the door.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah," he said, his eyes downcast. He knew for a fact that Bella hadn't specifically told Charlie where they were going, simply saying a cabin they had up north, but suspected that Charlie knew it was far enough away that they would of had to leave as soon as they got there to get back in the time frame that they had.

Charlie was silent for a long moment, his face and emotions going blank (he wondered if that's were Bella got that particular skill from) and Jasper wondered if a warning siren was going off in his head screaming: **_OVERLY ATTACHED BOYFRIEND!_** He could already envision the restraining order Charlie would slap him with. He was relieved when his emotions shifted into gratefulness instead.

"Well, thank god you're here. Bella refuses to come out of her bedroom. She's been holed up in there for the last two hours."

Jasper looked up the stairs. _'Oh, why did I leave you, Darlin'?'_ He turned back to Charlie. "What happened?"

His face darkened. "Renee's mouth is what happened." He ran a hand through his already mussed hair and chuckled bitterly. "I can't believe I used to _like_ that she spoke her mind." He shook his head in disgust. "Maybe now that you're here..." He leaned against the banister and shouted, "Bella! Jasper's here!"

Jasper cocked his head. Other than the sound of the TV from the direction of Charlie's bedroom, he couldn't hear anything. No movement from Bella's room to signal that she had even heard Charlie.

"Maybe I should just..." He pointed upstairs.

Charlie nodded. "Do that," he agreed before rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "I got a kitchen I need to finish cleaning."

Jasper's desire to go to Bella battled with his urge to ask Charlie for more details, especially when he muttered, "Should of cleaned that gravy off the floor _before_ it congealed."

His first thought was, _'food fight,' _but that seemed more like something that Emmett would instigate. Still, shades of a smile tickled his lips at the visual as he climbed the stairs. It disappeared as he neared Bella's closed door and felt the waves of loneliness and sadness pulsing from the other side. He could also pick up the faint notes of music and determined she had her IPod on.

_'That explains why she didn't hear Charlie.' _He didn't even bother knocking on the door, just mentally wrapped his hands around the cord that tied them together and gave a tug.

He heard her gasp, than a loud thunk followed by a brief flash of pain before the door was flung open.

"Jasper!" she cried, throwing herself in his arms and wrapping her legs and arms tightly around him.

As he clutched her to him, he wondered if she was even aware she was mumbling, "Never leave again," into the fabric of his sweater.

**-oo-**

Bella tightened the pillow over her head, ignoring Charlie's fourth attempt at knocking at her bedroom door. He finally got the message that, like last time (and the time before), she wasn't going to answer and she heard his footsteps shuffle away from the door and creak down the steps. Renee had gone silent an hour again and was no doubt glaring at the TV that Bella could hear blaring through the thin walls.

Setting her IPod to shuffle, Bella stuck the ear buds in her ears to drown out any further attempt to get her attention. She knew she was being childish, but she figured she had more than earned the right too. She shut her eyes when Nan's sad gaze from the corner became too much and shifted so her back was to her. She appreciated her words in the truck, but right now she just wanted to wallow.

She must have dozed off because, when she woke, Nan was gone and instead of the raspy lyrics of _Piece of My Heart_ she'd been listening to earlier, Axl Rose was wailing in her ear.

_"Oh, oh, oh sweet child of mine..."_

Every part of her ached as she stretched, catching the sight of one of her Nightmare Before Christmas themed knee socks tied to the bedpost at her feet – Nan's sign of _'I'm out for a walk' _that didn't require leaving a note that someone other than Bella might stumble on.

Leaning up on her hands, she considered going out to look for her, if only to have a reason to get of the house, and was so focused on the thought that at first, she didn't notice the throbbing in her chest was quickly being replaced by a pleasant hum. She certainly noticed a few seconds later when it flared with an almost euphoric tugging sensation and she gasped loudly and ended up toppling over the edge of the bed. She banged her funny bone heavily on the floor, but was saved from anything more than a twinge thanks to the carpet that cushioned her fall.

Looking at the door through the messy curtain of her hair, and feeling every nerve in her body literally vibrating with awareness, she instinctively knew Jasper was on the other side. Scrambling to her feet, ripping the ear buds out as she went, she stumbled for the door and practically tore it off its hinges as she swung it open.

Her jumbled mind only registered a flash of gold before she fell into his arms, clinging to him like a child would their mother. She tightened her grip as he walked them towards the bed, only loosening her legs enough to allow him to sit down.

She gulped in a few shuddery inhalations of his scent as she felt all the stress from the last day melt out of her with a soft sigh. She purred as he ran his hands through her hair, his fingers gently working out the snarls.

"What are you doing here?"

"You needed me," he replied simply.

She pulled back and stroked her thumb over his cool cheek bone. "You felt that?" she asked softly.

He nuzzled into her hand. "Mmhmm... don't ask me how though."

Jasper had told her before that this bond was a new experience for them both and he might not be able to answer all of her questions. She kissed his lips. "I don't really care how," she whispered against them. "I'm just glad that you're here." She frowned lightly. "Is it always going to be like that when we separate?" she wondered as she fingered the fabric covering his chest.

His hand rose to lay over hers. "Let's never find out again."

She smiled, "Deal," and let him pull her into another languid kiss.

A throat suddenly cleared from behind her and Bella broke away, not even bothering to hide the scowl from the figure hovering at her open door.

"Who is this, Bella?" Renee asked and Bella could note a touch of incredulity in her voice, no doubt assuming she had been lying about the boyfriend thing.

Jasper brushed her cheek and shifted her off of him so he could stand and take a slightly protective stance in front of her. From around him, Bella could see Renee's eyes widen in awe, already suckered completely in by what her vamps called the, _'vampire glamour'_. (Or as Emmett insisted on referring to it as, the _'vlamour.'_)

"And you are?" Renee repeated huskily, smoothing a hand down her silk pajamas.

"Jasper–" He shot a questioning look over his shoulder at Bella and she mouthed the last name she'd given Renee. "– Hale." He didn't ask for her name in return, but Renee took it upon herself to offer it anyways.

"Renee... Higginbotham," she said, lifting her hand up palm down, as if she expected him to kiss it.

Bella's mouth dropped open. She did _not_ just introduce herself by her maiden name. Her mother was flirting with her mate... wasn't that just the icing on the freaking cake. Where was Nan when you needed someone to throw something?

She smirked when Jasper simply looked at her hand, long enough for the moment to become sufficiently uncomfortable, before Renee dropped it back to her side with a nervous giggle.

"I'm Bella's –"

"I know who you are," he interrupted tightly, than completely dismissed her by offering his back as he turned around to face Bella again.

"Why don't you get your stuff together, Darlin'? You can spend the rest of the weekend at my place."

"Now wait just a damn minute–"

"Good idea, Jasper." Bella saw Charlie come up behind Renee as she got to her feet. "Go ahead, Bella. I'll call you after." He didn't finish the sentence, but the, _'after Renee leaves'_, was clearly implied.

"You're welcome to come, Charlie," Jasper said gamely as Renee squawked in outrage. "There's more than enough room."

Charlie chuckled, ignoring the glare being directed at him. "Don't tempt me, son. God knows what I'd come back to if I did."

Renee stomped her bare foot loudly, marching back to the room she'd vacated and pushing aside a questioning Phil who was timidly peeking outside the door. The pictures on the walls shook as she slammed it behind her.

Bella slipped her feet into her canvas sneakers and, as she passed Charlie, gave him an impulsive hug.

"Thanks... dad." He muttered out an unintelligible reply and patted her on the back. "Sleep in my room, okay?" she said as she pulled away. "Renee might try to suffocate you in your sleep after this."

He barked out a laugh and began pushing her towards the stairs. "Get out of here, kid."

"You're sure you're okay with this?" Bella asked, wringing her hands as Charlie followed her and Jasper down the stairs.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Charlie replied casually.

"I know this was supposed to be our family time." She pushed away the urge to make her fingers do little quote marks in the air as she said it.

Charlie smirked. "I think we can agree we've both had enough family time for the day. Go enjoy the rest of the weekend." He pointed a finger at Jasper. "But, Christmas is mine."

He chuckled and held a hand out for Charlie to shake. "Deal."

Pulling her jacket on, she offered Charlie a wave and a small grin and left the house for the second time that day, wrapped safely in the arms of her mate's embrace.

_'At least this night ended on a high note,'_ she decided as she climbed in Jasper's truck. She looked back at the house as he pulled out of the driveway and finally found a reason to offer thanks.

"Thanks for coming back."

Jasper wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side. "Always."

**-oo-**

They were all sprawled out on the floor of the living room in front of the ceiling to floor window, the couch pushed slightly back to give them the space to spread out. Bella leaned back against Jasper. Emmett lay beside her, his head resting on her upper thigh and Rose was lying against him, her chin propped up on his stomach.

Earlier in the evening hugs had been given, tears had been shed (on Bella's part at least), Renee's name had been cursed and 'I love you's' had been freely shared. Now the four of them silently watched the first snow fall through the lightly frosted glass, admiring the beauty of it, as each of them recuperated from the emotional drain from the day and simply enjoyed the closeness.

"Next Thanksgiving we're all going to Disneyland," Emmett declared suddenly.

"Agreed," they replied unanimously.

* * *

_**A/N2: GAWBLES!**_

_**Some of you were probably expecting Jasper to throw down with Renee, but hate her or not, he's still a gentleman. **_

_**Hope you enjoyed November... next up December... that is how the calendar goes right?... Do you know how weird it feels to be writing about Christmas in June? **_


	19. Jingle Bella

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**A/N: So I just basically put, Oi to the World by The Vandals on repeat and cranked it to get myself in the Christmas-y mood. And even though I'm writing about it in the middle of June, at least the humor's back.**_

_**WARNING: Full on goofiness and adorkable Charlie! :D**_

* * *

"Jingle Bella, Jingle Bella, Jingle all the way!"

Bella and her vamps were currently at her house decorating the tree that had been courtesy of Jasper and Emmett. Nixing the tree lot that had been set up in an empty lot at the center of town, they had cut one down off their own property (they owned not only the house now, but a few acres behind it) and now the small living room was awash with the scent of fresh pine.

Bella had always loved that scent. Nan had always insisted on a real tree during Christmas, but after she had died Renee had switched to a fake one, claiming to be allergic to the scent of pine. After 6 years of fakeness, to finally have a real tree again brought back the memories of the Christmases she had loved when she was a kid and not of the awkward and uncomfortable ones when she'd been a teenager. She knew she'd be adding this Christmas, her first one with Jasper and her vampire family, to the first list.

That was, if Emmett would stop mangling the Christmas carols that, up until he started changing any mention of 'bells' to 'Bella', she loved.

She rolled her eyes and finished looping the gold garland around the tree. "Emmett, it stopped being funny a week ago."

He shrugged before ginning mischievously and suddenly produced a pair of dark sunglasses from the pocket of his baggy hoodie. Sliding them over his eyes, he began gyrating his hips enthusiastically, doing his best Justin Timberlake SNL impression.

"Every single holiday a dick in a box..."

Bella groaned. She should have known better than to discourage the Christmas carols. Emmett always had a back-up.

Perched on the edge of the couch, Rose patiently untangled the Christmas lights and without looking up, calmly said, "If you so much as _think_ about coming down here on Christmas with a box over your crotch, you _will_ find your dick in a box... on its way to Guatemala."

From behind them came the sound of a slamming door followed by Charlie stepping into the living room, his uniform rumpled and a coffee cup paused halfway up to his lips. Sharp brown eyes warily took in Bella and Jasper laughing heartily and Emmett with his hands protectively over his privates.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Just giving Em a little advice on Christmas etiquette," Rose chirped.

"Right," Charlie said with a frown.

Bella grinned. She remembered a fight that had broken out at her old school where these two guys were completely wailing on one another – fighting through the pain of what she would later find out was a broken nose on one and a busted hand on the other. It wasn't until one of the guys angled himself just right – or wrong in this case – and ended up getting a very powerful punch to the crotch (she swore she could hear the crunch) that the fight came to a screeching halt. The puncher had froze when the punchee dropped to the floor screaming in pain, before kneeling beside him (blood gushing out of his face and causing his words to slur) and asked the guy if he was all right, then offered an arm as they both limped off in the direction of the nurses office.

It was clear that there was something about a guy's junk being threatened that united all men together in a protective brotherhood.

"Well," he said slowly when he realized there was no eminent threat, "I'm gonna go grab a shower. It's been a long day."

Rose finally looked up and grinned. "Not so fast, Charlie," she sing-songed as she motioned for him to tilt his head upwards.

As his eyes widened when he latched onto the greenery dangling overhead, Bella could practically see his thought process, _'that wasn't there earlier'_, because it wasn't. Nan had placed the mistletoe there while he'd been preoccupied with checking out the living room.

Rose had been gleefully stringing the stuff around the house, hoping to catch him unawares. But it was like he had a sixth sense for it, batting it down with whatever object was close at hand before he dared to pass under the place it had once hung. He'd never admit it out loud, but she could tell it had become a game between the two of them. One that, up until now, he'd been winning.

His stubbled cheeks flushed when Rose bounced over and placed a light kiss on one of them, then turned her own alabaster cheek and encouraged him to do the same. He was as skittish as a chicken pecking its feed on the ground, pulling away and clearing his throat loudly as the others chuckled.

Emmett began bouncing giddily when she pulled away. "My turn, my turn!" he yelled, puckering his lips and advancing towards Charlie.

Charlie's hand dropped to the butt of the gun holstered to his hip as he stepped out of the path of the hanging mistletoe. "Just try it, son."

Emmett huffed. "Well, we clearly know who your favorite is," he sulked.

"You just don't have the right parts," Rose said, puffing her ample chest out proudly.

Bella chuckled as Charlie flushed beet red and darted his eyes around the room, looking at everything but Rose. She took pity on her poor father.

"Go take your shower, Charlie. I'll fix you something to eat."

He nodded, the color fading from his cheeks. "You kids staying for dinner?"

Jasper shook his head, doing his best to look genuinely bummed that he had to refuse the offer. "No, we're going to finish up some Christmas shopping in Port Angeles. But we'll be back later."

Charlie smirked. "Whose choice is it tonight?"

They had been doing a _Twelve Days of Movies_ thing for the last three days that would lead them right up to Christmas Eve, alternating their picks between the five of them. Last night's had been Emmett's choice and they'd been forced to sit through, _Santa Vs Zombies: The Hell-i-day Edition_. Where the hell he had gotten his hands on such trash, she had no idea. Seriously, Santa's elves were envisioned as Stripper Ninjas. Bella wished she was making that up.

She had not been the only person traumatized by the time it was over and the decision was unanimous that Emmett's future choices had to be group approved.

"Mine," Bella said, grinning when she saw Charlie practically sigh in relief. "A Christmas Story all the way." She'd been floored when she'd learned her vamps had never seen it.

Charlie grimaced and Bella had the feeling that he'd had more than a few Christmases where he had nothing to watch and had been forced to tune into the twenty four hour broadcast of the movie that seemed to play every year. "I'll take that over Stripper Elves any day," he decided.

"Stripper _Ninja_ Elves," Emmett corrected.

"Let the slay ride begin," Jasper quoted ominously before snorting.

Bella tapped him lightly with her elbow. "I'm trying to rid myself of all memories of that movie and you're certainly not helping."

Jasper grinned. "I saw Emmett's browser history, we got off lucky."

Bella looked skeptical. "Lucky? What could possibly be worse than that?"

Jasper leaned his lips in close to her ear. "Depends. How comfortable would you be watching Christmas themed porn in front of your father?" he whispered.

"Emmett!" Bella scolded, her voice heavy with disgust.

Charlie looked between a scowling Bella and an innocent looking Emmett. "Okay, I _definitely_ don't want to know. I'm gonna go take that shower now. You kids drive safe." He walked out of the living room, his exit followed by the sound of the creaking stairs.

Bella followed her vamps as they made their way to the door, chuckling as they grabbed their jackets off the hooks in the entryway as they went. It was always amusing to watch them bundle up in the winter necessities- gloves, hats, scarves- knowing that they could have strutted around in the slightly above freezing temperatures stark naked and not feel a thing. (Bella knew better to say that out loud though, because knowing Emmett, he'd totally take it as a dare.)

Jasper usually kept it simple with his leather jacket and a pair of matching gloves, while Rose accessorized her faux fur coat with a knitted scarf. Emmett seemed to get the most enjoyment out of playing dress up, bundling himself in a puffy down jacket, mittens and a bright green toque complete with ear flaps, tassels and a fuzzy purple pompom dangling from the top of it. Bella couldn't decide what looked worse on his head, the bleached locks he'd sported on Halloween or the hat he was currently pulling on.

Rose saw her looking at it and rolled her eyes. "He insists on getting a new one every year. Last year's version had horns."

Bella grinned. She had seen a hilarious monkey hat, complete with ears, down at a clothing store in Port Angeles and made a note to pick it up when Rose and her went down on the weekend.

"You sure you don't want to come?" Jasper asked as Bella trailed behind him out the door.

Bella shook her head. She had finished most of her Christmas shopping last week, with the exception of a few stocking stuffers she planned to pick up. "Nah, me and Rose are going to head up again on Saturday."

He nodded and bent his head to brush a kiss across her lips. "See you later, then."

"Text me when you're on your way back."

"I will," he replied over his shoulder as he walked down the stairs.

Bella stood on the small porch, arms wrapped around her body for warmth as she watched Jasper's truck back out of the dooryard. She offered a small wave, which they all returned before going back into the house and closing the door behind her.

She headed directly for the kitchen, throwing a plate of the lasagne that she had fixed earlier into the microwave and setting the timer. She had eaten before Charlie got home, so she decided she'd get a start on her wrapping before the others got back.

Walking up the stairs, she headed for her bedroom, passing the bathroom door just as she heard the shower cut off.

"Dinner's in the microwave," she called out.

"Thanks," came Charlie's muffled reply.

Entering her bedroom, she crossed over to her small closet after she closed her door behind her. Reaching in, she pulled out several plastic bags packed with unwrapped gifts, a large unopened roll of wrapping paper (in a shiny gold color that reminded her of her vamps eyes), self-adhesive tags and a package of small clothing boxes. Carrying the load over to her bed, she dumped it all of it on the bedspread and walked over to her small desk, grabbing a pair of scissors and some scotch tape from her top drawer.

"Need some help?" Nan asked, suddenly appearing at the foot of the bed.

"Sure. You want to wrap your stuff?"

Nan, with the help of Bella of course, had picked out a few items for everyone. They'd be addressed from _Santa, _but she knew that her vamps would know who they came from when they opened them, because they all related to their nicknames in some way. A pair of dangly star-shaped earrings for Rose, a set of dog tags (with his name and nickname engraved) for Emmett, and a thick leather wristband with a small silver replica of an old-fashioned sheriff's badge at the center of it for Jasper. That one had to be special ordered off the internet a few weeks ago, and had only arrived yesterday.

As Nan nodded eagerly and took the bag she pointed out, Bella sorted out the gifts she had bought in piles.

Emmett had been the easiest to buy for. She had gotten a few t-shirts with cheeky sayings (the one she was looking at now had: **_I AM CURRENTLY UNSUPERVISED. I know, it freaks me out too. BUT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS_**) emblazoned on the front in bright white letters, along with a video game she knew he had his eye on.

For Rose she had gotten a set of silver friendship ankle bracelets with a small rose and swan shaped (she figured she already had already done the bell thing with her necklace and charm bracelet) pendant dangling from the center of the chain links. She felt a little nervous about this gift, concerned Rose would think it was a little silly, but she wanted to make sure Rose knew how much she appreciated her friendship.

Pushing all those gifts aside, she reached for Jasper's first, pausing to caress her hand over it. It was a sketch book bound in aged leather, with his name embossed in gold at the bottom right corner. Ever since Rose had told her that Jasper was a talented artist (showing her some drawings that had been secreted away) but had given up the hobby years ago when things had started to get bad with... _her,_ she was determined to get him to start again.

She had also got him a set of high quality charcoal pencils to go with it which, taken together with the book, equaled a hefty price tag. In fact, with all of her vamp's gifts, this had proven to be her most expensive Christmas yet. But it didn't matter.

They were more than worth it.

**-oo-**

Bella stuck her tongue out in concentration as her fingers flew over the keyboard on her touch screen phone. Jasper had texted her 10 minutes ago to tell her that they were on their way to her house and she wanted to make sure that –

The phone buzzed in her hand. **_Don't worry, I didn't forget your M&M's._**

She grinned and deleted her half typed message. **_And my_** – she re-started when her phone chirruped again.

**_And your Swedish Berries. _**

**_You're my Swedish Berry._** She grinned as she sent the overly cheesy message, knowing Jasper would get a kick out of it.

A few seconds later she got another text, this time from Emmett.

**_I think I may have just threw up in my mouth a little._**

She frowned playfully as she sent her next message to Jasper. **_ Be a dear and smack Em for me._**

Bella chuckled as she got a second message from Emmett.

**_Ow!_**

**_Mwahaha... I have the power._**

**_That's right, just get your little puppet to – _**She frowned at Emmett's half sent message, before her phone chirruped a second later, this time from Jasper.

**_Belle, this is the puppet. Emmett's phone has officially been confiscated for the rest of the trip._**

She laughed.**_ Love you_**, **_see you soon._**

Bella waited for his reply, returning her affections, before sliding her phone back into her hoodie pocket and picking up the box of popcorn she'd been fiddling with before he texted. She withdrew a single cellophane bag and tore the wrapping off before sticking it into the microwave. She closed the door, but didn't set the timer just yet and turned to the nearest cupboard to grab a couple of bowls.

"They on their way?" Charlie asked as he entered the kitchen and crossed over to the fridge.

"They'll be here in about ten," she replied, reaching out for the fizzy pink lemonade he handed her.

He popped the top off a bottle of root beer (the ever consummate cop, it was the strongest thing he drunk in a house full of minors - if he only knew) and took a long pull of it. "How you doing kid?" he asked suddenly.

Bella frowned at the out of left field question. "Fine," she said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

He sat the bottle down on the counter behind him. "I know we haven't really talked about what happened with your mother."

Bella chuckled uneasily. "It's alright, really." She may not sound as confident as she felt, but she did mean it.

Renee had been gone by the time Bella had gotten back from her weekend with her vamps (apparently telling Charlie that she'd never step foot in Forks again) and though the hurt still lingered, she'd be lying if she wasn't glad to see her go. But with Jasper, Emmett and Rose around (along with a promise to never leave her alone with her again if she should ever go back on her word) she didn't really have the time to brood on her thoughts and before she knew it, the hurt from the visit had faded to little more than a mild sting in the background.

"Is it?" he asked seriously. "Have you talked to her since?"

She turned back and pressed the popcorn button on the microwave. "Long enough for her to tell me my gift was in the mail." Bella had sent her a card in return and a universal gift card as well. She knew it was impersonal, but after coming up empty handed after searching the mall for three hours, she realized that she didn't really know her mother anymore and probably never had.

His eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped when she faced him again. "Was it always like that?" he said tightly.

"Not always."

Sure, the bad days happened more than the good, but Bella could remember a few times when things were, dare she say, pleasant between the two of them. After Nan had died, it seemed like Renee was seriously attempting to repair their relationship, taking Bella on outings or asking her about her day and _actually_ listening. But within a few months it was like the novelty had worn off and things went back to the way they were, only to be repeated when Nan's house burnt down.

Bella finally knew for certain they'd never have a normal relationship when she found herself hoping for another tragedy just so that Renee would actually be a mother to her.

"I know our relationship wasn't much better, Bella, but if I had known, I would have done... something."

"I know you would have. _'I just don't know if I would have accepted the help at the time.'_

While Charlie hadn't exactly been a stranger, he had been less familiar to her than Renee and although the quote, _'lesser of two evils'_ was inappropriate to the situation (at least in Charlie's case), she didn't know how to explain her decision to stay any better. Familiar versus unfamiliar she supposed and in most people's cases, they'd choose familiar and she was no different. She chuckled dryly to herself when she realized how closely it mirrored her own vamp's situation in regards to the Cullen's.

"Thanks for this though... you know, letting me move in with you."

Thanks seemed like a poor substitute for what she really wanted to say. Whether he knew it or not, by refusing to move when his wife insisted and by continuing to live in Forks after they divorced, he had been inadvertently responsible for her even meeting her soul mate and the brother and sister she had never had. How could you even begin to thank someone for that, especially when they had no idea that had even done anything?

"Anytime, kiddo." He shifted uncomfortably. "I love yah, Bells," he said gruffly.

Her eyes misted at the rarely spoken affection from him and she felt her heart swell with love for not only him, but her vamps as well. Just as Charlie had been instrumental in meeting them in the first place, her vamps had helped her and her father bond in a way they hadn't been able to before.

"Love you too, Dad," she returned and they shared a moment of companionable silence. It was soon broken by the beeping microwave.

"I'll get everything set up in the living room," he offered as he snatched up his discarded root beer and walked out.

"I always liked that man," Nan mused after he disappeared around the corner. "I told your mother she made a mistake leaving him."

Bella chuckled as she divided the bag of popcorn into two separate bowls. _If you claim to like him as much as you say you do, why would you make him suffer like that? _

"Touché."

Bella heard the rumble of an engine as she drizzled a bit of melted butter over the popcorn that had been designated as Charlie's bowl. She made an 'ick' face as she did it, practically hearing the cholesterol clogging up his arteries, but he insisted that even the 'extra buttery' (as it proclaimed proudly on the front of the box) wasn't buttery enough. She juggled the two bowls in the crook of one arm and used her free hand to pick up her glass of lemonade, another small bowl for her M&M's balanced on top of that, as she made her way towards the living room.

Charlie watched her with an amused tilt of his lips as she managed to get everything to the small coffee table in one piece with a proud, "Tada!" exclamation.

She arranged her own dishes within arm reach and passed the greasy bowl to Charlie who was sprawled out in his recliner. She settled back into the couch just as Emmett stumbled through the door, sparing a moment to shed his winter clothes (and probably using a little vampire speed to do it) and leapt over the back of it, plopping down heavily beside Bella and causing the furniture to let out a loud creaky groan.

Bella's eyes widened. When was Emmett going to learn that his vamp strength didn't come with an off button?

"Ease up on the furniture, Emmett," Charlie warned good-naturedly. "It's been with me since I got this house." He took a sip of his soda. "And no cracks about my age," he said, cutting off Emmett just as he opened his mouth to reply.

Emmett pouted. "Spoilsport."

Her nostrils tingled with the scent of cinnamon a second before Jasper slid in beside her, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Buy me something pretty?" she asked coyly.

"Yeah," he said, sliding a package of peanut M&M's from behind his back.

She grinned. "At least I'm easy to please," she replied.

Rose took her place on the other side of Emmett, blowing a cheeky kiss at a flushed Charlie, who stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth and looked away. Bella could just make out the barest hint of a grin on his face.

As Bella tore open the top of the packet of M&M's and poured out the chocolatey goodness, she was reminded of the text conversation they had earlier. "Hey, who was driving when you sent those messages?" she directed towards Jasper, with a mock glare.

"We were parked in the driveway at the house. Me and Em waited in the truck while Rose brought the bags in."

Bella studied his face for a long moment before smirking. "Liar."

He grinned sheepishly.

"You're lucky I'm not on duty," Charlie drawled. "That's a hundred dollar fine." His face was stern, before it cracked with a small smile. "Just put it away next time," he advised.

"That's what –" Rose slapped her hand over Emmett's mouth, saving them all from the inevitable, _'that's what she said'_ joke.

"You're stifling my creativity, babe," he complained when Rose had deemed the moment had officially passed and removed her hand.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure tacking that lame joke on the end of everyone's sentences shows your _lack_ of creativity."

He scoffed. "Please. Everyone _loves_ those jokes."

Bella snorted. "Are you kidding? They're a pain in the ass."

"That's what she said."

They all turned to stare at a completely straight faced Charlie who calmly took a sip of the root beer in his hand. Jasper and Emmett burst out laughing while Bella and Rose sighed in exasperation.

"Thank you for encouraging him," Bella groaned.

Charlie shrugged unapologetically, but there was a smug satisfaction in his face when he settled back into the chair.

While waiting for the laughter to die out, Bella attempted to get comfortable on the couch. Now that the four of them were crammed on it (not an impossible task, but it certainly would have been easier if not for Emmett's large stature), you'd think it'd be uncomfortable, but for Bella, it just gave her an excuse to plaster herself to Jasper's side.

"You mind?" she asked as she slung her legs over his.

He curled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Do I ever?"

"Leave some space for Jesus," Charlie joked.

Bella held up her hand, her fingers pinched together to indicate half an inch. "That enough?"

Charlie smirked. "Only if he sucks it in."

Emmett scowled when Bella and Rose turned to glare at him. "Oh come on! That line's practically asking for it!" He pouted when their glares intensified. "Fine," Emmett grumbled, stretching his own arm behind Rose. "Got the movie in?"

"All ready," Bella replied, stretching out across his and Rose's laps to grab the remote that had been on the stand next to the couch.

"You could have asked," Rose said dryly.

"You're right," Bella agreed, turning on the TV. "I _could_ have." She stuck her tongue out at Rose and pressed the play button. She placed the remote down on the coffee table and darted her eyes between the popcorn and the candy as she tried to decide which one to snack on first. Candy won and she settled back into Jasper as they quietly enjoyed the movie... well, everyone but Emmett was quiet that is.

You know those people at the movie theater who you find yourself wondering why they spent fifteen dollars on a ticket if they were just going to talk through the whole thing? (The same ones that were a step up from the people that whipped out their cell phones and texted, the glare of their screen capable of being seen from space in the dark theater.) Yeah, Emmett was one those people.

He kept up a running commentary throughout the entire thing, telling everyone he was, "So going to find a metal pole to lick as soon as this movie is over!" Just to see if it was possible for his tongue to get stuck. Bella hoped he was prepared for disappointment, because she imagined his venom would make that feat impossible.

"You know the guy who played that kid starred in a few porn movies?" she remarked off-handily as she scooped up a handful of popcorn.

"No kidding?" Emmett volleyed back. "Was he licking a pole in that too?"

Bella coughed violently, choking on her popcorn as Charlie sniggered loudly in the background.

"I really should have known better," she muttered when she finally caught her breath, snatching her glass of lemonade out of an amused Jasper's hands and taking a huge gulp to wash away the kernels she could feel stuck in her throat. "I'll never be able to watch this movie without thinking that now," she groused, poking her bottom lip out. "Why must you destroy something that I love?"

Emmett began humming, _You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,_ and her pout quickly turn into a chuckle.

"Let's just watch the rest of the movie," Rose suggested with a playful frown and Emmett managed to stay quiet for the remainder, only breaking it to crack up at the sight of the poor boy in the bunny suit.

_'I'd kill to see Emmett in something like that,'_ Bella thought gleefully. Turning her head slightly towards him as she pictured it in her head, she caught the same look on Rose's face. Their eyes met as the shared in the same thought and Rose flashed her fingers to indicate how long it was going to take her to accomplish the task.

Bella knew, come Christmas Eve, Emmett would be strutting down the stairs in a brand new pink bunny suit.

It ended up being just as hilarious as she thought it would be, earning a place in the photo album Jasper had alluded to on Halloween, right beside his Malibu Barbie costume.

**-oo-**

**CHRISTMAS**

"Get everything you ask for, Darlin'?"

Bella hummed against his chest, curling further into his embrace. "I didn't ask for anything. It's pointless when I already have everything I could ever want." She placed a sleepy kiss on the fabric that covered his un-beating heart.

Jasper grinned sappily. She was always saying things that made him fall more impossibly in love with her.

Downstairs he could hear the sounds of a video game over Emmett and surprisingly enough Charlie shouting. A new gaming system had been Emmett's gift to Charlie and the two had begun setting it up as soon as the wrapping was cleared away.

Him, Rose and Bella had polled their funds together (after Bella refused to let the two of them pay for it all) and secured him a cabin in a prime fishing area for two weeks. He wouldn't be able to technically take the trip until summer, but there had been an almost child-like glee on his face when he admitted he hadn't taken a vacation in almost 10 years.

"You'll join me for a few days of course," he asked and although that hadn't been part of the plan, he and Emmett hadn't hesitated to agree.

He was nervous about how it would go though. It was easy to hide the fact that they didn't eat or sleep when they could simply go back to their own house, but in close quarters... Oh well, that was months away and he supposed he'd climb that hill when he got there.

He could hear Rose humming happily to herself and wondered if she was still admiring the ankle bracelet Bella had given her.

Rose had always been one of the least likely members of the family (aside from himself) to cry (or at least their version of crying), but Jasper had seen venom misting her eyes when she opened up the gift before leaping at Bella and hugging her tightly enough to make him nervous. He knew why she was so grateful though. Bella might have told Rose that she was her first real friend, but what she didn't know was that she was Rose's first friend too.

Whenever they went to a new school, the few humans that would chance talking to them usually gravitated towards the more sociable Cullen's, Alice and Edward (as broody as he was a hell of lot more likely to talk to someone them he or Rose was) or occasionally Emmett. Bella had been the first human to reach out to Rose, or the first female period. Esme had done the 'mother' thing, but never really tried to be a friend to her and Alice was frustrated by Rose because she refused to play along with her.

Bella shifted against him with a sleepy moan and he scooted forward until they were both lying back on her bed. She had told him that she always crashed after the excitement of opening gifts had passed, had since she was a kid, and that he shouldn't be surprised if she nodded off on him. He grabbed the thick scrapbook filled with pictures of all of them over the last few months (Rose's gift to Bella) she'd been looking at before she fell asleep and moved it to the stand beside him.

He rubbed his thumb across her ring finger, where his own gift to her rested. A silver promise ring.

He had given her a few first editions of her favorite books downstairs, but had saved this gift for when they got to her bedroom, away from the prying eyes of her father. As much as he liked Charlie, he was sure no dad liked seeing their teenage daughter being given a ring by their boyfriend, especially considering the finger she had immediately slipped it on.

It was appropriate that she had slid it on that finger when he'd given it to her, because as soon as she graduated, he intended to replace it with an engagement ring. (With Charlie's blessing of course.) He already had a well-reputed jewellery designer working on it. Rose had helped him perfect the band he had in mind, comprised of linking infinity symbols, with a small heart-shaped Emerald (Bella's favorite color) in the center. He thought the symbols were appropriate, because when he gave her that ring, he planned on not only asking her to be his wife, but for her to spend eternity with him.

He looked down at her angelic face, brushing a hand across the apple of her cheek and decided that even that wouldn't be long enough.

**-oo-**

**NEW YEARS EVE**

"Promise me you won't let me get anywhere near a karaoke machine."

Jasper's grin turned into a playful leer as he watched Bella slip on a short silvery dress. '_Rose strikes again,'_ he thought blissfully as she turned and offered her creamy back, pointing at the zipper.

"I promise, Darlin'," he replied as he zipped her up, brushing aside her vanilla fragranced hair in the process and placing a kiss on her neck.

"I won't talk to you for a week if you do," she warned, slipping her feet into a pair of pair of matching heels. (The same ones he'd watched her practice walking in for three days beforehand.)

He had planned on telling her she shouldn't feel like she _had_ to wear them, but now that she had them on and seeing that they made her already amazing legs look _insane_, he found himself biting his tongue.

_'Wonder if I can get her to keep them on later?'_

He flashed her a toothy grin. "You can trust me, Belle." She was crazy if she thought she could ignore him for a week anyways.

He was right.

She only lasted a day.

* * *

_**A/N2: You might've noticed I didn't use IM in the text messages I had the characters sending each other. I HATE abbreviations when I'm texting and would sooner send someone a thirty page message than a single OMG or LOL.**__... __**So I decided that these characters had the same... quirks. **_

_**Emmett's gift (the t-shirt) is a real shirt found on this awesome site called Bad Idea T-Shirts. If you're a fan of funny t's, check it out.**_

_**The comment about the kid in A Christmas Story is 100% true. Pop over to IMDB if you don't believe me. Not so sure about the pole part though.. ;)**_

_**Santa VS. Zombies isn't a real movie... that I know of. Knowing the trash that gets made (Sharknado anyone?), who really knows for sure. Okay... Holy F-ing Shittake Mushrooms... totally just googled the name, it actually DOES exist. What is wrong with the world?! Since I've never seen it, I'm assuming my Stripper Ninja Elves is still an original idea. But something tells me not for very long...**_


	20. New Years and Birthday Cheers

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**_A/N: This one manages to be both serious and humorous... Sumourous? Herious? Ha! Those sound like bones in the body._**

**_"I'm sorry Ma'am, but your son has a broken sumorous and a fractured herious."_**

**_Speaking of health maladies, this is why this update is later than planned... and possibly all chapters for the next little bit. For the last week my wrist has been growing increasingly stiff, with a tingling pain for good measure, and instead of getting better, the sensation seems to be getting worse. _**

**_As my preferred method of writing is doing it in paper and pen first, and THEN transcribing to computer, it's a bit of a double whammy, so now I have to take long breaks in between writing in order to recuperate. Normally, I'm used to working through the pain (writing until my hand and wrist are screaming at me to stop... and than writing more) but that's obviously a contributing factor to the pain I have now, so I'm gonna have to stop that behavior all together. I really hope it's nothing more serious, but for the time being, I'm going to take a gentler approach to my writing. _**

**_But this isn't a red light, my loverly readers, simply a yellow one. I'm not talking months between updates, just a few more days than usual (possibly a week depending on the pain), that's all. _**

* * *

**JANUARY**

**New Year's Day**

Bella kicked at the cool hand encircled around her ankle. She could feel the metal charm of her bracelet slapping against her skin with each kick as she fought to release her foot from the grip it was held in.

"Lemme alone," she grumbled groggily.

"Not gonna sleep the day away are you?"

Her head peeked out from beneath the pillow it had been buried under as she glared at the man kneeling at the end of the bed.

"I'm not talking to you remember?"

"No. Remind me again."

"Hey, I may have been drunk, but not so much that I don't remember a certain someone letting me near the karaoke machine... after I specifically told them not to."

"You were tipsy more than anything."

"Tipsy schimpsy. It was still enough to lead to bad decision making."

"And yet you still managed to go home with the best looking guy at the bar."

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. "Oh, is Emmett here?" She smirked victoriously as Jasper scowled.

"It's time to get up."

"Why? It's only," she checked her internal clock, "noon." She may have still felt a little heavy-headed from last night's shenanigans, but she was certain it was working properly.

"It's three in the afternoon, Darlin'."

Or not.

"Where's your sympathy for the slightly hung over girl?" she grumbled. "And if you even think about telling me to look in the dictionary, I will..." she paused. She couldn't exactly hit him without hurting herself even more in the process. "... seriously consider thinking about hitting you."

"Well I wouldn't want you to _think_ about hitting me, might hurt yourself."

"I hate you," she growled, flopping back down and pulling the covers over her head.

"Love you too, puddin'. Besides, I might have something that will cheer you up."

She shifted a corner of the blanket enough to peek an eye out and saw him jiggling his cell phone in his hand. She gasped loudly and groped at the bed stand beside her, wrapping her hand around the first object it came in contact with, a thick hard covered book that Jasper had been reading for the last few nights.

"So help me god, Whitlock, if you filmed me singing, I'll throw this book at your stupidly handsome face." She sat up in bed, wrapping the sheet tightly around her chest and shifted the heavy tome threateningly in her hands.

"Stupidly handsome?" he repeated with a large grin.

"Fishing for compliments, Jas? And here I thought such actions were beneath you."

His grin melted into a wicked smirk. "I only want _you_ beneath me."

She rolled her eyes. "Ugg... what are you, taking suave lessons from Emmett?"

He pouted. "No, but speaking of Emmett... Put the book down, Belle, I promise I didn't film you. Though I did think about it," he muttered as she turned to place the book back where she got it.

"What was that?" she asked sharply.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

She leaned back against the headboard and patted the space beside her. Jasper slid up the bed next to her and leaned in close enough so that she could see the small screen. The video was already cued up and when she nodded, he hit play.

She pretty much already knew what to expect. She may have been a little _tipsy_ last night, but she clearly remembered laughing at Emmett's song choice. She wasn't the only one either; she could make out the muffled titters in the crowd as the opening chords of 'Umbrella' struck up. Under the blaring fluorescents that lit up the stage (which made Emmett glow like a freaking neon sign) she watched as he brought the microphone up to his lips with one hand and held the item he'd manage to acquire over his head with the other.

"Where the hell did he get the umbrella anyways?"

"Damned if I know."

His singing wasn't terrible – she'd definitely heard worse – but it wasn't very good either. He made up for any lack of talent with exuberant enthusiasm.

She had to admire Emmett. Everything about him, not just his stature, embodied a 'go big or go home' mentality. She had a feeling people could enjoy themselves a lot more if they lived their lives just like he did. The smile on his face as he danced around the small stage, microphone in one hand and umbrella in the other, not caring that he looked like a fool gave proof to the fact that this was one happy guy.

As he neared the end of the song, she leaned closer when she finally realized the chorus seemed a little off.

"Stop. Play that again... and turn it up."

Jasper grinned, backtracked a few seconds and increased the volume before pressing play again.

_"You can stand under my Um- Bella... ella...ella... eh..eh..eh..."_ He wasn't trying to slur his words to make it sound like he was drunk (like most of the people singing karaoke – including her – had been), so it was obvious he was deliberately leaving out his 'r's'.

Off screen she heard a male voice shout, _"You're singing the wrong words, dumbass!"_

She sighed loudly. "I didn't notice that last night. Did he do that through the whole song?"

Jasper laughed. "He snuck it in near the end."

"Which explains the song choice. Em gets far too much pleasure out of doing that. I'm thinking about legally changing my name to something unpronounceable out of spite. Something with a lot of Q's and X's."

Jasper pocketed his phone. "He only does it because he knows it annoys you."

"Typical big brother behavior." She wouldn't change it for the world. "Though I suppose you're partially responsible for him singing anyways. What did you bet again to get him to do that?"

"That he could do a shot without gagging."

"You're going to get into trouble one of these days, I imagine. First it's Halloween costumes and drinks, next he's running naked through Times Square."

Jasper looked away with a guilty smile.

"No way!" she gasped.

"Well, he wasn't completely naked. He was wearing a speedo."

"I don't remember seeing that immortalized in the photo album."

"Ahh, the one we have now is technically part two."

"What happened to part one?"

He shrugged. "Alice happened," he said mysteriously.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You gonna finish that story?"

"Only if you're good."

"Me?" she asked, poking at his shoulder. "You're the one disobeying their mate's direct orders."

"Funny, I remember a certain brunette she-devil threatening me with a lack of access to her female parts for a month if I didn't let her get on that stage. Exact quote I believe."

She blushed. "I don't remember saying that." But it would probably make sense in booze addled brain to counteract a threat by making another one.

_'Definitely never drinking again.' _She supposed it could have been worse. All drinking did was make her want to channel her inner rocker, instead of encouraging some sort of 'Girls Gone Wild' attitude and leading to her violating a few public decency laws. She was sure Jasper would absolutely _love_ dealing with that version of Bella.

When she looked back at him he was regarding her through lowered lashes with a look that would have melted any woman's heart in a fifty meter radius. "Still mad at me?"

"As if I could stay mad at that stupidly handsome face of yours."

He leaned in for a kiss and she held her hand up to stop him. "Uh uh, Casanova. Not until I brush my teeth."

She tugged at the sheet he was sitting on, encouraging him to lift up enough so she could wrap it around her naked body like a toga. She wanted to ask him why she was naked (she usually slept in one of his shirts) but vaguely remembered stripping down as soon as she walked through the bedroom door before passing out on the bed.

She shuffled towards the bathroom and flicked on the light.

She made a face as she caught her reflection in the mirror. "I look like a hot mess."

Jasper leaned against the door jam. "You're beautiful."

"Beautiful?" She grinned, reaching for her toothbrush and applying toothpaste liberally to the bristles.

"Fishing for compliments, Miss Swan?"

Her lips formed a smile around the plastic toothbrush in her mouth and for the next two minutes the only sound in the quiet bathroom was the soft _swish swish_ noise as she scrubbed at her teeth.

She eyed his reflection in the mirror as she spat out the white foam. "What would you do if you were more like the movie vamps and couldn't see your refection?" she asked before tipping a small cup of mouthwash in her mouth.

"Well obviously I'd still be this pretty."

She sputtered out a laugh causing the minty liquid to dribble down her chin. She spit the remainders into the sink and her scowl melted into a smirk as she turned to face him. "My, my, aren't we full of ourselves today? Is that your New Year's resolution?" She adopted an overblown Southern accent. "Ta admire myself more, 'acause the pe'ple 'round me don' 'lready do it enuff."

He looked insulted by her deliberately piss-poor impression. "I do _not_ sound like that."

"That's what you get for not giving me a serious answer."

He shrugged. "Have you ever really seen me checking myself out in front of a mirror? Run a hand through my hair, put on whatever looks clean and I'm good to go."

"Guy," Bella muttered.

"Last time _you_ checked," he teased with a toothy grin before continuing. "Even Rose is pretty low maintenance when it comes to that stuff. Alice is probably the only one who'd be devastated – not being able to see herself in the latest spring fashions would probably kill her." He paused thoughtfully and Bella suspected it was the first time he'd ever been asked the question. "It'd be a little disturbing, I guess, not being able to see yourself. How would you even know you truly existed if you didn't have the tangible proof?" he questioned, almost to himself, and Bella felt guilty for putting the pensive look on his face.

He shook it off and gave her a small smile. "Though we'd probably take that over sparkling in the sunlight any day."

Bella would have to agree. Sometimes it was hard to take her vamps seriously when they were standing in the sunlight. They could be telling her that her clothes were on fire and all she'd think was, _'ooh... pretty sparkles...'_

And they were pretty, don't get her wrong. They made all her vamps (especially Jasper) look like fallen angels. But sometimes to Bella those sparkles resembled chains – chains that kept them tethered to the 'creature of the night' persona. They may have escaped the stigma of burning in the sun, but they would never truly belong under it – only enough to tease.

Nan thought, in some ways, it was crueler than going up in flames. To be given yet denied something all at the same time.

She walked towards him and looped her arms around his waist. "I love you," she murmured, blinking up at him with a soft smile.

The clouds behind his melted gold eyes disappeared completely as he returned her smile. "I love you too." He bent down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss which, now that her mouth was minty fresh, she was happy to return.

He began walking backwards towards their bed, tugging at the sheet entwined around her body and she was content to follow until the reminder that she was still human, with human needs, reared its ugly head. She planted her feet, bringing them both to a stop, and pulled away with a faint blush.

"Nature calls," she explained at his slightly put out look. She pushed him away and began to backtrack her steps. With a sudden burst of naughtiness, she dropped the sheet to pool around her feet. "Hold that for me, will you?" She giggled and darted into the bathroom, slamming the door loudly as he growled lowly.

"Tease," she heard him rasp thickly.

She snickered. "You better be naked when I come out!" she called. "And no twisting my words either, you perv!"

His answering laugh was low and dirty and it sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, causing her legs to wobble as she teetered across the expansive bathroom and took care of the human necessities.

_"Why do you even have toilets?"_ She remembers asking after they got that whole 'you're a vampire' thing out of the way.

_"Why do we have a refrigerator?" _Jasper had countered_. "Simple. 'Cause it's the **human **thing to do."_

_'Still doesn't explain the toilet paper,'_ she thought for the hundredth time since she found the stash.

If they really wanted to emulate humans, the proper way was to not have a single roll in the house when you needed it – though the fact that she considered that the norm could probably be blamed on her scatterbrain mother and her 'forgot where the supermarket was again' father. She could remember a few times when Nan had to _procure_ TP from, "best not to ask," locations. Bella always laughed when she pictured the look on her (strongly suspected) neighbors faces when they walked into their own bathrooms and found the freshly changed toilet paper suspiciously missing.

As she washed her hands after finishing up, her eyes shifted between the bathroom door and the shower. As eager as she was to get back to Jasper (_'and sexy naked times,'_ her mind reminded her) she wanted to wash the scent of the bar and its patrons off her skin. She knew the smell of a lot of other people on her made Jasper uncomfortable (especially when they were of the sweaty, overly perfumed and boozed soaked variety that was prevalent at the bar scene) and it was probably a good idea considering they were about to get up close and personal.

_'Besides,'_ she thought as she stepped under the tepid spray for a quick rinse, _'I also know it drives him wild when I use his body wash.'_

She reached for the familiar black bottle and hurriedly scrubbed herself down, grateful she had taken the initiative to shave all the necessary parts before she went out last night so she wouldn't have to waste precious minutes doing it now. She stepped out and patted herself partially dry with the nearest towel, leaving enough water on her skin to give it a tantalizing slickness.

She reached for the doorknob as she ran her fingers through her hair, aiming for what she hoped was a sexy/messy look. Her breath hitched as she pulled open the door and was greeted with the sight of Jasper's lean frame stretched out on the forest green bed cover. Not a stitch on, just like she ordered.

The curtains were open and just enough sunlight peeked through the perpetually grey sky to cast him in an effulgent glow.

_'I still can't believe he's all mine,'_ she thought in awe as she traced her eyes over every inch of exposed skin.

He propped his head up on one hand and inhaled deeply. His eyes went pitch black as he beckoned her closer with a crook of his finger and a heated smirk that promised all sorts of dark and delicious things.

As if in a trance, Bella inched closer, gladly accepting her fate and knowing that she could kiss any potential plans she had for the rest of the day goodbye.

Not that she cared.

_'This is so much better anyways,'_ was her last coherent thought as Jasper reached and pulled her down towards him.

**-oo-**

"Did you make any New Year's resolutions?" Bella's warm breath tickled across the cool expanse of his bare chest, her fingers lightly tracing one of the many scars that decorated it.

He shivered with each brush of her fingertips as it soothed away old hurts and shame. She had been the only person that never reacted with fear or disgust when she witnessed him shirtless. Even Emmett and Rose had flinched the first time he'd shown them and Alice had never hesitated to point out how hideous they were.

For that reason, he'd been nervous to show Bella these ones, because they consisted of more than the bite marks that littered his arms and upper shoulders. Those had been the result of fear, anger and survival instinct, but the ones on his chest had been done out of something much crueler than that.

His maker, Maria, had loved punishing him for even the slightest indiscretion (some real, some imagined) in his earlier days, carving into his chest with a rare (and, as far as Jasper knew, one of a kind) knife whose steel had been mixed with copious amounts of her venom when it was forged. It was made specifically to be used on vampires. It could pierce their normally impenetrable skin and, when coated in the same type of substance it had been constructed with, easily scarred.

Maria had usually settled for simply dragging the blade across the skin of his chest, carving nonsensical patterns and penetrating deeply enough for the foreign venom to enter. The burn that accompanied it making it feel like he was turning all over again, laughing as he squirmed in pain on the dirty floor. She had never gone for his face though, not wanting to mess up such a, _"Hermoso rostro."_

She had eventually grown tired of using it on him when he stopped reacting to the pain, facing her with hateful indifference instead and for a time, she had left him alone altogether, no longer getting any enjoyment out of it. That was until she had attempted to cut his heart out one night in a fit of rage, after he had let Peter, a vampire he'd grown fond of, and his mate escape. Lucky for him, (though he had not been so sure of his luck at the time) she had come to her senses halfway through the job and it left him with a thick jagged silvery scar partially circling his heart.

The torture device of choice would prove to be her downfall when the same vampires he had helped returned to convince him to make his own escape.

Maria had been losing ground for years. Once a powerful force that was feared in all parts of the vampire world, she was growing more insane and unpredictable with each passing year, killing off scads of her army in the space of days and causing even more to flee, until only a few were left. Jasper had been one of them because he thought he didn't have anywhere else to go and deep down he secretly hoped she'd finish him off, perhaps with the same knife she was so fond of.

It turned out Maria would meet her end at the knife instead, as Jasper used it to sever her head from her body, along with the few others that were still loyal to her.

Afterwards, he had been prepared to destroy the knife, or throw it into the deepest darkest pit he could find, but he had ended up holding on to it instead. Even he couldn't say for sure why he did. To this day it was locked in a safe that only he and one other person knew the location of. As much as he trusted Rose and Emmett, he knew that the less people that knew about such a weapon, the better.

Only the real members of his family had known the truth behind the scars on his chest (though it had taken him decades to finally tell Emmett and Rose about it) while Alice and the other Cullen's were under the impression it was caused by nothing more than a vampire's fingernails that had been dipped in venom. Even if they really looked nothing like claw marks, they were happy to believe it. He sometimes suspected that Carlisle and possibly Esme knew something didn't quite add up, but were too afraid of the truth to ask. Not when the lie, that the only thing that could hurt a vampire was another vampire, was much less unsettling to believe.

He had been reluctant to share the full truth with his mate, but when he gathered the courage to strip off his shirt in front of her, his Belle had simply looked at them as calmly as she had his arms in the forest that day and he had found the story behind them spilling out. She had cried – good lord how she cried – before the emotion was swiftly replaced with a flaming fury so powerful it had made his head spin. He literally had to hold her back from storming off to seek her own vengeance on Maria and had only calmed down when he told her the only thing she'd find is her ashes.

_"I'll never let anyone hurt you again," she promised later that night, as she swirled her fingers around the brutal designs on his chest. _

And even though she was still a fragile human, he didn't doubt for a second that she'd protect him as fiercely as he would her, whether she needed to or not.

"Resolutions?" he repeated, as the dark memories of his past faded into the background and he looked down at the smiling brightness of his future.

Basking in the contentedness and love swirling in her emotions, he was reminded of the day many, _many_ years ago as he watched Marie's burning corpse and, unknowing that the rising sun in the distance signaled the first day of the New Year, made his very first resolution.

It was the same one he had been making ever since.

"Happy," he said out loud. "I'm going to be happy."

Bella propped her chin on his chest. "That's a pretty simple resolution."

"I'm a simple kind of man."

She laughed. "That settles it, next time it'll be your turn to sing."

"You're assuming I'll be good at it."

She snorted. "Vampires are good at everything."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Would you like me to show you the video of Emmett singing again?"

"Point taken. But you have a voice made for singing, I just know it."

"We'll see. How 'bout you, Darlin'? You make any resolutions?"

She nodded than laughed again. "I suppose mine's pretty simple too. I think I'm going to start calling Charlie dad for good from now on." She looked up guiltily. "Does it sound terrible to say that he's sorta earned it?"

"Not at all. Any man can be a father; it takes a special one to be a dad."

"How very Hallmark."

She yelped when he suddenly flipped her over and began tickling his fingers along her ribcage.

"I'm trying to be the wise, sensitive boyfriend here."

"Wise old man is more like it." She giggled and squirmed underneath him, trying to escape his persistent fingers. "Uncle! Uncle!" she shrieked in between fits of laughter, when the movement only encouraged the action.

He took mercy on her, flopping on his side as she struggled to catch her breath before turning to face him. With her flushed cheeks, messy hair and sparkling eyes, she had never been more beautiful.

He had made the same resolution for seventy years but for the first time since he made it, he knew it had finally come true and that he'd never have to make it again.

**-oo-**

**January 7th**

Bella nibbled on the small slice of chocolate birthday cake (that had been bought specifically for her benefit) and gazed bemusedly at the birthday boy and girl.

"What?" Jasper questioned first, picking the small pieces of birthday confetti (courtesy of Emmett) out of his hair.

"I'm just wondering how it feels to be _nineteen_," she took great pleasure in shifting the plate to her lap and making the accompanied quotation marks with her fingers when she said this, "and still in high school."

"Honestly?" he said, finally shaking his head in frustration to dislodge the stubborn pieces. "It sucks." Rose and Emmett nodded their agreement. "Considering how well we do in school, there's been more than a few teachers who've raised an eyebrow at our age, especially since its usually in conjunction with being held back a year... or as we all call it, _Emmett's go to excuse_."

Emmett scooped up a handful of the sparkly confetti and tossed it in Jasper's general direction. He scowled when a few managed to land back on him.

Bella chuckled and set her half-eaten cake aside. "Here, let me." She rose from the chair she'd been sitting in and moved to the end of the couch, perching on the arm. He leaned towards her, allowing her to pick out the metallic flakes.

"So, I guess this will be the last time?"

A slow smile spread across his lips. "Yeah, I guess it will."

"There," Bella exclaimed as she picked the last piece out. She leaned over and dropped them onto the coffee table before sliding down onto Jasper's lap. She fiddled with the chunky silver ring on his finger, her birthday gift to him, tracing a nail around the endless knot that was etched into the large round face of it. She had stumbled across the ring online (unfortunately a few days before Christmas, nowhere near enough time to order it) and immediately bought it because she felt that the description suited her and Jasper's relationship perfectly and, when looked at from a certain angle, it looked like some of the loops formed the first letters to their names.

She had been worried at first that he didn't like it, because he looked at it for a long time with a funny little smile on his face.

**-oo-**

"Do you not like it?" she had asked, ringing her hands together nervously. "It's okay if you don't." She wasn't so sure if she meant that though, not when she was subtlety trying to tell him that her life was forever entwined with his. And if he didn't like the ring, then maybe that meant he didn't like the thought of forever with her.

"Calm down, Chime," Nan warned when she began working herself into a tizzy at the thought and quickly found herself approaching hyperventilating territory.

"I love it," he insisted, sliding it onto his middle finger with that same funny little smile as she breathed a sigh of relief. He curled the ring adorned finger under her chin and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "You're the first person to ever buy me jewellery." He grinned. "Well, you and your Nan if this counts." He jiggled the wrist that was wearing the leather wristband he had gotten for Christmas.

"Well, I promise to get you a set of earrings for your birthday next year," Emmett quipped. "Maybe a nice diamond choker to go with it. Diamonds are a girl's best friend after all."

Jasper flipped him off.

"Say, that _is_ a nice ring."

**-oo-**

Her nail finished its lap around the knot. "Why did you keep going to school anyways?" she asked, genuinely curious. That had been one of the most confusing things about the whole group, when they could have easily done anything, anywhere they wanted. And surely to god none of them wanted to stay in school for the rest of their lives.

"We kind of felt obligated to," Rose admitted uncomfortably. "Carlisle was very dedicated to playing human and it was sort of an unspoken requirement for staying a part of the family. We had to play our roles faithfully."

"But why high school? You were eighteen when you were turned – old enough to have technically graduated – and Jasper, you and Emmett were almost twenty."

"Yeah, but do we look it?" Jasper pointed out.

Bella tilted her head as she studied their faces. To her, she could see the maturity, more specifically in the eyes, and supposed it wouldn't be as obvious to someone who didn't know what exactly they were looking at. Their spirits were old, but their looks were frozen in time forever. "I suppose not," she finally said.

"Our venom can be largely blamed for that," Emmett said, rubbing his chin as if inspecting a close shave. "It takes a few years off."

"Carlisle and Esme were quite determined to keep us as their children, Esme more so to replace the child she lost when she was human. Edward and Alice usually had no problem playing the part, but we did. So occasionally we'd switch it up for college instead," Rose explained.

Yeah, she's seen the ridiculous amount of diplomas.

"And we had our brief periods of rebellion," Emmett boasted. "Where we refused to go, period."

Rose's face grew dark. "But in the end, they always had their ways of wearing you down. It used to be tolerable in the beginning, as kind of a way to fill up the endless hours, but it started to wear on me after a while. There's only so many times you can go through a graduation and listen to the speeches about lives just beginning before you start to realize that you're stuck."

All three of them had various emotions on their faces – anger, bitterness, frustration – and she saw Nan frowning in the background.

"They really need to stop hating themselves," she said.

"I agree," Bella replied out loud.

Jasper's dark brows furrowed. "You agree to what?"

Bella slid from his lap and began to pace the space between the couch and the coffee table. "You guys really don't give yourselves the credit you deserve, do you? I've seen you sometimes, when you'll stop and stare as if lost in a memory and you always look uneasy afterwards. I know parts of you are constantly kicking yourself for the stuff you endured, but you gotta stop." She looked at the three of them pointedly. "You made the best of a bad situation, because you were afraid of the unknown." She held up her hand when it looked like Emmett was going to protest. "Don't deny it; I went through the same thing. I stayed with Renee for years after Nan's death, when I could have been staying with my dad, probably contentedly, but I didn't. My relationship with him was complicated at the time and a part of me was scared it'd be worse with him then it was with Renee, and I imagine it was the same with you guys. Wasn't it?"

The three of them nodded hesitantly.

"I get that you feel you have to be tough because of what you are, but it's your skin that's impenetrable, not your feelings. I've heard you say it before, change is a difficult thing for you guys and there's no reason you should feel ashamed for sticking with the Cullen's for as long as you had. I mean look at it this way, in the end, it brought you three together didn't it? And surely it wasn't all bad?"

Jasper tugged her back into his lap. "It wasn't all bad," he agreed.

"I can remember some good times," Emmett said with a nod.

"Me too," Rose replied, the beginnings of a smile creeping on her face.

"And," Jasper said, cupping his cheek in her hand, "their desires to emulate humans so much, led us right to Forks High." He brushed his nose across hers. "And eventually to you. So I suppose, in many ways, we can thank them."

Emmett whipped out his cell phone. "Should I send a mass text?"

Jasper snorted. "Put your phone away, you tool."

"Right." He nodded as he slipped it back into his pocket. "Thank you notes are so much more personal... perhaps with cat stationary?"

Jasper groaned. "I'm starting to regret the whole thanking thing." He turned to face Bella. "Do I really want to thank them for an eternity of _that_?" he asked, pointing at Emmett.

"Hey! We both know I'm the light– " he corrected himself when Bella raised an eyebrow, "–okay, maybe the _second_ light of your dreary little life."

Bella laughed, glad that the mood in the room had lightened. "No more self-loathing anymore, okay?" she ordered gently.

Jasper flicked her nose. "Well, I can't promise you that, Belle. We are tortured creatures of the night after all."

"Broody, you mean?" she asked cheekily.

He grimaced. "Save that description for Edward."

Emmett leapt to his feet and landed a hearty slap on Jasper's back, almost dislodging Bella in the process.

"Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, can I interest you in a post birthday drink?" he invited.

Jasper nodded and helped Bella ease off his lap. "Rose?"

"I'll pass. I haven't forgotten how the last birthday drink went. I had to wash the clothes afterwards, remember?"

Emmett sighed. "Ahh... good times." He walked over to the sliding glass door, before bowing magnanimously in Jasper's direction. "After you birthday boy."

Emmett blew a kiss over his shoulder and with a parting smile from Jasper, the two darted out the door.

**-oo-**

"When is your actual birthday?" Bella asked Rose as she washed the dishes she had dirtied. Though she knew her and Jasper celebrated it at the same time to solidify the twin story, she wondered if it was actually the truth – what a hell of a coincidence that would be.

"I honestly don't remember," Rose replied casually, drying the plate Bella handed her.

"How does Jasper know his then?"

"He researched. Found some documents."

"Couldn't you have done the same?"

"I could have," she agreed, "but from the parts I did remember of my human life, I wasn't too eager to dig in any further than I had to. Not in the beginning at least."

"In the beginning? You looked later?"

"Yes, not to long after Jasper joined the family. He was trying to find his roots and encouraged me and Em to do the same."

"Is that how Emmett knows his as well?"

"Yes and no. The fact that his turning coincided so closely with his birthday made it one of the freshest and more detailed memories of his human life that he had. The documents Jasper managed to find simply confirmed it. "

"And what about you?"

"We found out that the place that housed all my significant records had burnt to the ground about five years after I was turned." She smiled slightly. "When Jasper found out, he said I could share his. That's when the twin story was first born."

"So you didn't find anything? No family?"

"I didn't really have a close relationship with my parents, I couldn't even tell you what their names were if you asked me now. All I remembered of my life before, other than what I told you, was that I was an only child. Jasper attempted to locate any relatives using my last name as a reference, but I made him stop. It would have been... difficult to have that sort of tie to my human life."

Bella finished washing the final dish and drained the sink. "Does it work that way for everyone? Forgetting when you're turned?"

Rose placed the dish towel down and walked around the island to ease herself into a stool. "It's different for everyone. I think it all depends on a number of things. Like how violent the turnings are, and who's doing the changing and whether they know you or not."

Bella wrung out the wet cloth and joined her. "How does that help?"

"They could talk to you during the change, reminding you of your life and encouraging you to remember. I've run into a few vampires that remember their human lives clearly and even some that remember nothing. More often than not, all vampires remember _something_, but usually it has to do with the days or sometimes weeks leading up to being turned. Those ones will be the freshest in their minds. That's why I only really remember the events that lead up to my own; they were on a constant replay in my head as I lay burning." She placed her hand on Bella's. "That won't happen to you though; we won't let you forget anything."

"Me?" Bella squeaked. She looked nervously around the room even though she knew Nan wasn't in the house with them. She had disappeared a few minutes after the boys had left and was no doubt out in the woods with them right now antagonizing them in some way. She liked seeing how long she could 'haunt' them before they realized she was there. Just like she hadn't had this conversation with Jasper yet, although in theory it was pretty much set in stone, she hadn't broached the subject of her desire to be a vampire with Nan either. She wasn't sure if the promise she made to Nan to _live_ applied to her being dead (technically) as well.

Rose frowned. "Jasper hasn't talked about this with you yet, has he?"

Bella shook her head sadly. He had tip-toed around the subject once or twice, but hadn't really sat her down and had a frank conversation about it.

"Don't think that means he doesn't want to, because he does, probably desperately. I was the same way when I came across Emmett. It's kind of instinctive when you meet your mates. The only difference was that he was on borrowed time. Jas is hesitant in your case because he has so many things to consider..." she hesitated "...like Charlie. But it will happen if you want it to. Do you?"

"I do," she admitted softly.

Rose sighed, a melancholy smile on her lips. "If this were a different time and you were a different person, I'd be trying to talk you out of it."

"Why?"

Rose's gaze turned inward. "I always wanted to be a mother, you know." Her hand reached up to cradle the flat plane of her stomach. "I would have been a good mother, I think. And as much as I love Emmett, a part of me aches that we'll never be able to experience that joy. I think that's really why I was so willing to play the part of Esme's child, because I could understand what that loss felt like. I hurt knowing that you might feel that pain someday."

Bella inhaled deeply. "I used to picture my future when I was younger, usually after Nan would reminisce about Gramps, imagining what my husband would look like, what kind of house we'd live in, what breed of dog we'd own, things like that. I always thought it was strange that I never used to envision children in that scenario... It probably has something to do with the dysfunctional relationship I had with my own mother and that little niggle of fear that I might turn out to be like her." She turned her head away briefly before shifting back to meet Rose's gold eyes firmly. "I'm not saying that I'll always feel that way, but I can say I will _never _regret my decision to spend the rest of my life with Jasper. Him, you and Emmett are all I'll ever need and for me, that's enough." She placed her hand on Rose's and gave it a small squeeze.

"Perhaps you're right," she chuckled, "again. Now that you're here, it does feel as though our family is complete." She turned her palm upwards and returned the gentle squeeze. "And maybe that _is_ enough."

Bella nodded and kept their fingers entwined, sharing a moment of companionable silence.

"Can I still get a dog though?" she asked after a few minutes.

Rose groaned. "_Please_ don't let Emmett hear you say that."

They both heard the thump of feet on the patio out back followed by a booming voice crying, "Too late!"

* * *

_**A/N2: Thus endeth the ZomBella months... but not the story.**_

_**I seriously can't believe I used the word 'effulgent'. **_

_**Hermoso Rostro means 'handsome face' in Spanish... at least according to Google Translate it does (but I know as well as anyone how dodgy that can be). Please, correct me if I'm wrong. **_

_**And no offense to any potential Southerner readers, I was deliberately trying to do the worst attempt at a drawl in the history of ever.**_

_**Jasper's ring is actually a real (very, very nice in my opinion) ring. This site doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of links, so just type (or copy and paste) Endless Knot (Ashtamangala) Ring JXN82 into google and it should be the first link. (It's the Exotic India one). Lemme know if you see what I see in the loops. :D  
**_

_**All the changes to Jasper and Rose's history is just more examples of an author going mad with power. And as for the knife, well if you can accept vampire's sparkling, than you can sure as hell accept that. Capisce?**_


End file.
